Community Matters: Building a Sense of Belonging for Women in Construction

Recruiting and retaining students from underrepresented populations, such as female students, is challenging for construction programs at higher education institutions. This paper discusses how outreach activities have successfully been used to build a sense of community and belonging for female students in a baccalaureate construction management program at a four-year higher education institution. Activities from the outreach program, ideas for funding sources, challenges and lesson learned, and recommendations for developing similar outreach programs will be highlighted in the article that could be incorporated at other institutions.