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Summer Engineering Academy (SEA)

Preparing the Next Generation of Engineers
For decades, the U-M College of Engineering has worked to create a learning environment that promotes excellence, values diversity and assures equal opportunity. Through its Multicultural Engineering Program Office (MEPO), the College has developed a full spectrum of educational support services designed to increase diversity and facilitate success for students while expanding the engineering talent pool nationwide. 

A key component in this effort is the Summer Engineering Academy (SEA), a carefully structured series of enrichment programs that introduce middle school, high school and early college students to the disciplines, challenges and career opportunities of engineering.  Beginning in grade 7, students are eligible to attend intensive summer sessions on the Michigan Engineering campus in Ann Arbor.  Here, they learn about engineering from U-M faculty, solve challenging problems through team-building activities, and strengthen their skills in mathematics, computers, science, and communication.  The Academy is comprised of six separate levels, each designed to meet the learning needs of specific age groups:

  • Levels I/II for Grades 8-9 - Summer Enrichment Program (SEP)
  • Level III for Grades 10-11 - Michigan Introduction to Technology and Engineering (MITE)
  • Level IV for Grades 11-12 - Summer Apprenticeship Program (SAP) in college-level research
  • Level V for Grade 12 - Summer College Engineering Exposure Program (SCEEP)

Level VI: Ford Motor Company Summer Engineering Institute:

  • For newly admitted U-M engineering students - Professionals-in-Training Program (PTP)
  • For newly admitted Michigan Engineering students interested in eight-week industrial internships - Alliance of Learning and Vision for Under-represented Americans (ALVA)
  • For newly admitted Michigan Engineering students by invitation only - Engineering Bridge (E-Bridge)

The Need for Corporate Support
The Academy, which has doubled in enrollment since 1990, depends largely on the active and generous involvement of a growing contingent of corporate partners.  These organizations are not only a source of essential program funding but, through presentations, tours and career fairs, provide students with valuable exposure to the practices and protocols of "real world" business and manufacturing.

Gift Opportunities
Although the largest and most pressing need is for scholarships, businesses can choose to participate in a variety of ways:

  • Support of SEA levels I, II, III, IV or V ($50,000 to name any level for a given year, $1 million in endowment support to name any level in perpetuity).
  • Scholarships for one or more students at all grade levels.  Minimum amount: $2,000 per student each summer.
  • Discretionary program support to help defray the costs of professional staff, room and board, field trips, special educational programs, and transportation to and from the U-M campus.
  • In-kind contributions of supplies and equipment (e.g. corporate giveaways, classroom project supplies).
  • Tours of manufacturing plants, corporate offices and other company sites (within 300 miles of Ann Arbor).
  • On-site and on-campus presentations ("Corporate Corners" discussions of company opportunities).
  • Participation in the SEA Expo, a one-day event held each summer for SEA participants, including incoming Engineering first-year students, that allows corporations to showcase their newest technologies and products.
  • Opportunities for tutoring and mentoring. 

Benefits for Corporate Donors
Businesses that choose to participate in the Summer Engineering Academy will discover a variety of advantages.  Close contact with students over a period of years provides companies with an inside track for recruiting talented minority engineering students.  Through tours and on-campus interactions with Michigan Engineering faculty, corporate partners gain access to valuable research and consulting resources.  Participation in SEA also builds corporate visibility and good will, both on campus and throughout the wider community.   In addition, corporate partners are recognized on MEPO's website, at various campus events, and in College-and, when feasible, national-publications.

For more information, contact:
Chundra O. Johnson
Multicultural Engineering Programs Office   
University of Michigan College of Engineering
1463 Robert H. Lurie Engineering Center
1221 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI  48109-2102
(734) 647-7125 phone
(734) 647-7126 fax
cojohnso@umich.edu e-mail
http://www.engin.umich.edu/mepo