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Westminster College Ranked in Top 10 Most “Steminist” Colleges in America 

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Posted on Thursday, September 3, 2015

This week, Westminster College ranked in the top ten for “Most STEMinist Schools in America,” according to Her Campus Media.

At Westminster, of the 350 students who major in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)-related field, 59% are female.

“Women in particular are drawn to Westminster because they see lots of women, both faculty and students, in the STEM classrooms and labs,” said Dr. Helen Boylan, program coordinator for environmental science. “We are successful in keeping both men and women in STEM because of the close mentoring we do with our students.  We spend hours in lab together, looking at data together, and thinking about important questions in science. This time together builds relationships, which is why I think our students are successful at Westminster and beyond.”

According to the Her Campus Media website, “many colleges and universities with STEM programs host more male students than female students, making it incredibly hard for female STEM majors to feel comfortable and welcomed, especially in gender-biased classrooms and departments that lack female role models.”

“Our programs are centered on mentoring individuals to become highly successful professionals,” said Dr. Peter Smith, professor and division chair for biological, chemical and environmental sciences. “This award is yet more proof that this approach is highly effective and benefits women and men, alike.”

Founded by three students while they were undergraduates at Harvard University, Her Campus Media is a global community for college women with over 5.9 million monthly users. According to their website, “there are some incredible colleges out there determined to combat the STEM gender gap. These inspiring and supportive campuses are the perfect homes for any girl who's a math mastermind, aspiring engineer, tech-obsessed computer whiz or scientist-in-training!”

For more information about the ranking, contact Rick Sherlock, senior director of marketing and communications, at (724) 946-7191.