Engineers Without Borders at a Community College: Lessons Learned

This paper will describe the establishment of the first Engineers Without Borders (EWB) at a community college. We believe this exciting opportunity could be available to other community colleges and we are hopeful that this paper will serve as a guide. The initiation of this club began with conversations between XXX community college and YYY university which is located five miles away. YYY university has a very active and experienced EWB chapter which is deeply engaged in examining global development with a focus on justice and decolonization. Recently, the two institutions have embarked on a NSF Funded S-STEM grant to support connections between YYY and two local community colleges. With this background the engineering faculty at XXX engaged several engineering students to begin the process of establishing a chapter. Through tenacity and diligence, the chapter began in the Fall of 2019. There are currently many interrelated activities at the community college with the ultimate goal of a sustainable chapter with international travel teams. This paper will discuss the process of connecting with YYY, connecting with local professional engineers, the role of the advisor, and the initiation of local outreach activities. We will also review the ways in which the institutions are actively exploring justice in global development. Although progress was stymied because of the pandemic, we still maintain a goal of establishing a robust EWB Chapter on the XXX campus and engaging with students.