First-Hand:History of an ASEE Fellow - Bevlee A Watford

Structured Outline

History of an ASEE Fellow

Bevlee A. Watford

As of May 19, 2018

Birthplace: Washington DC

Birth date: March 26

Family

I am an African American women with a very mixed race heritage. My father’s family was from North Carolina of Ethiopian background. While his father’s family was wealthy, his mother’s was not, and he grew up in a very large (14 siblings), very poor, rural family. One of the few who finished high school, he followed his older brothers to Washington DC, Howard University and the Korean War. My mother’s family was from DC, fairly well-to-do. Her father was a minister, and her mother worked in the Pentagon. My mother’s family is descended from Native American, African, Irish and Portugese ancestors.

My father has a BS degree in chemistry from Howard University and an MS in chemistry from Tuskeegee. He spent his life teaching high school chemistry, first in DC then in Smithtown NY. My mother has a BS degree from what was then DC Teachers College (now UDC), and a MS degree from Stony Brook University. She taught mostly kindergarten for her entire 36 year teaching career. They are now retired to North Carolina where my father is a potter with a special affinity for Face Jugs, and my mother gave of her time to community service.

I have 4 four sisters (I am in the middle), one of who is deceased, and a brother. We all share the same initials BAW.

Education

I graduated from Smithtown High School East and attended Virginia Tech for my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I have a BS in Mining Engineering and an MS and PHD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.

Employment

I was employed by two institutions in my career in higher education. From 1985 to 1992, I was a professor of industrial engineering at Clemson University. In 1992 I left to become the founding director of the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. In 1997 I also became the associate dean for academic affairs, responsible for all undergraduate issues. In 2004 I joined the Department of Engineering Education and earned promotion to professor.

Philosophy of Engineering Education

From the start of my first job as an assistant professor I knew that the undergraduate students were my top priority. My greatest job satisfaction has come from teaching and interacting with undergraduate students. After earning tenure and associate professor status, I immediately began to seek a position that would allow me to have more direct and meaningful contact with undergraduates. The position as Director of CEED (formerly known as the Office of Minority Engineering Programs) was the perfect venue for me to put my ideas to use and support undergraduate students as they worked to achieve their education goals. Expanding my efforts over the past 21 years as associate dean, I have had the opportunity to influence curriculum and educational enhancement activities on a much greater scale. While at the National Science Foundation’s Division of Undergraduate Education, I was able to gain a broader national and international perspective of how undergraduate education is changing.

My view of engineering education is based on my own experiences as first an undergraduate student and now as the leader for undergraduate education within the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. Our current times provide a marvelous environment for interaction with all undergraduates. We must meet them where they are, and with the understanding that the world in which they have lived and developed is rapidly changing. While instructional technologies and methods have changed, the needs of students, I truly believe are the same. The fundamental belief upon which all CEED programs have been developed is that education takes place both inside and outside of the classroom. Within the classroom, the learning environment we provide is composed of the facilities, the instructors, and the curriculum itself. We need to foster an environment that encourages and rewards curricular innovation. I strongly support curricular innovation that enhances the in-class experiences of our students.

When considering our students’ education outside the classroom, I believe in the strength of partnerships with others. In this case I am referring to those who provide various opportunities for students to grow personally and professionally. I strongly advocate the benefits of activities such as study abroad, undergraduate research experiences, and experiential and service learning opportunities. Additionally, living-learning communities and other activities serve to truly enhance a students’ undergraduate experience. My office has sought to provide this type of educational environment for engineering students initially through peer mentoring programs, then summer bridge experiences, undergraduate research programs, and finally through implementing residential communities.

My philosophy of engineering education encompasses all that I have mentioned in this document. I believe that we should be constantly improving what our students experience both inside and outside of the classroom. We need to increase the numbers of students who participate in the activities that enhance their curricular experiences, such as undergraduate research and international activities.

ASEE Activities

• American Society for Engineering Education Women in Engineering Division
  • 2002-04 Treasurer
  • 2004-6 Program Chair Elect
  • 2006-8 Program Chair
  • 2008-10 Chair
• 2010-2013 Chair, Professional Interest Council IV
• 2013-2015 Vice President External Affairs
• 2016-2017 President-Elect
• 2017-2018 President

In 1987 at my first ASEE conference in Reno, NV I remember sitting in the hotel lobby with about 4 or 5 other very junior female engineering faculty members listening to Eleanor Baum talk about how to be successful. She was already a dean, and gave all of us hope that we would persevere in a profession where we were so outnumbered.

Other Professional Activities

• Sigma Xi Scientific Society
• Society of Professional Engineers
• National Association of Minority Engineering Program Administrators
  • Conference Chairperson, Region B, 1995
  • Secretary, Region B, 1993-95.
  • National Treasurer, 2000-2002
  • Chair, Region B, 1998-2000
  • Treasurer, Region B, 2000-04
• Women in Engineering ProActive Network
  • 2002 - 04 Board of Directors
  • 2001 National Conference Chair
  • 2003 – 04 President Elect
  • 2004 – 05 President
• National Society of Black Engineers
• Council for the Advancement of Minority Engineering Organizations
• Society of Women Engineers
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated