Engineering education is facing a challenge retaining qualified students due in part to perceptions of chilly climate (Marra, Rodgers, Shen, & Bogue, 2012; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997). Climate perception in engineering programs can harm retention efforts, as it is a key influence in students’ feelings of belonging in the discipline (Marra et al., 2012). Pejorative faculty interactions are a primary reason cited by students for chilly climate, which leads to high transfer rates and low satisfaction rates among early engineering students (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997).The current study provides an in-depth examination of the experiences of early engineering students at a large, public research university that participated in a programmatic intervention to improve perception of climate through a formal, faculty-student mentoring program. Bandura’s (1986) Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) serves as the theoretical framework. The key component of SCT is triadic reciprocal causation, which explains human action in terms of three mutually influencing factors: environment, self, and behavior. Feelings, beliefs, and thoughts influence behavior, therefore a change in one factor influences change in the others, and consequently, the outcome. The goal of the mentoring program was to positively influence students’ perceptions of the engineering education environment through informal interactions moderated by the mentoring program. Faculty are critical socializing agents by virtue of their position as academic leaders who create and manipulate culture, and provide organizational meaning for students (Chen, Lattuca, & Hamilton, 2008; Kuh & Hu, 2001; Umbach & Wawrzynski, 2005). This is especially pertinent in engineering education, where faculty often facilitate student engagement with both the major and the profession. Existing research implies that students who spent time informally with faculty had increased student satisfaction, greater academic achievement, and higher rates of persistence (Chen et al., 2008; Pascarella, 1980; Tinto, 1993). Early engineering students have limited opportunities to interact with engineering faculty, relegated to large classes filled with peers and out of class office hours. The research questions that guided the current study are:• How do early engineering students perceive their interactions with engineering faculty?• How do early engineering students perceive the climate of engineering as a result of having participated in a formal mentoring program? Participants were enrolled in an introductory engineering design course, had declared engineering as their major, and opted to participate in the mentoring program. The data were collected from semi-structured interviews with student participants who represented each of the engineering majors offered at the college. Results of the current study indicate that despite high grade point averages and significant extracurricular involvement, many study participants were intimidated by engineering faculty, shared fears of imposter syndrome, and sought out faculty connection in the humanities and social sciences. Participants did not associate engineering faculty interactions, behavior, or approachability with the college climate. However, participants in the current study welcomed engagement with engineering faculty, and for those students whose mentors met their expectations, positive outcomes occurred. While the program provided students with mentors and gave students the overall impression that engineering faculty wanted to interact with them, it did not influence students’ perceptions of the engineering climate.
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