Beth Holloway, Ph.D.
Purdue University
For establishing and maintaining a positive undergraduate experience for students in STEM; for support and advocacy of student leaders; and for upholding SWE’s mission as an academic leader and advisor.
An advocate for research-informed approaches to engineering education, equity, and policy, as well as student recruitment and retention efforts, Beth Holloway, Ph.D., has made significant contributions nationally as well as at Purdue University, where she has spent her academic career. Her research interests include engineering admissions practices; women and leadership, particularly in male-dominated careers; and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Dr. Holloway holds a B.S. and an M.S. in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in engineering education, all from Purdue University, where she is a professor of engineering practice, assistant dean of engineering for diversity and engagement, and the Leah H. Jamieson Director of Women in Engineering.
She has led the Women in Engineering Program for more than 20 years. The program strives to increase the number of women engineering students at Purdue through targeted outreach and sustained guidance. Women studying engineering there has increased 81% in the last 10 years. ABET, the accreditation board for engineering and technology, recognized the program for excellence with the Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity in 2014. Dr. Holloway also oversees Purdue’s Minority Engineering Program and the Office of Future Engineers, which supports diverse students as they navigate through the College of Engineering.
Dr. Holloway believes in student engagement and leadership development. She has served as the advisor to the Purdue Society of Women Engineers collegiate section since 2001. The section has more than 700 members and has grown substantially under her tenure, with a 40-member executive board and an active industrial advisory board. Dr. Holloway has worked with the executive board to develop a strategic plan that mirrors that of the Society in the areas of professional and technical development, outreach, and social engagement. The plan has been in effect for 10 years, enabling students to create meaningful programs and activities that fit their mission and goals. The section earned the Outstanding Collegiate Section at the Gold Level seven times, at the Silver Level four times, and at the Bronze Level one time.
Her guidance of the Purdue SWE section has been recognized twice with the Purdue Student Organization Outstanding Advisor of the Year Award and the SWE Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award, among many others.
In 2014, Dr. Holloway was among a group of engineers to establish the SWE Greater Lafayette Indiana (GLI) Section. Prior to the new section, women STEM professionals were either SWE members at large or part of the Central Indiana Section. The new GLI section brought area women closer together to network and connect with students in the Purdue section.
Dr. Holloway has served SWE at the Society level as a member of the selection committee for the Outstanding Faculty Advisor and Outstanding SWE Counselor awards. She has also been a presenter at several regional and Society annual conferences.
Dr. Holloway is married to a Purdue engineer, and they are the parents of twins — a son and a daughter — who are also Purdue engineers. She enjoys nature walks, traveling, reading, and watching movies.