40 Hours for the Forty Acres September 2022

Who We Are

The Women in Engineering Program (WEP) in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin recruits, retains and graduates women to advance gender equity in engineering. WEP is a student success program that provides a supportive structure for engineering students and creates a community of engineering peers and professionals with academic, career and leadership opportunities. 

WEP programs focus on STEM education, pre-college outreach and recruitment, academic enrichment and retention, community building, leadership enhancement and career development. Each year, WEP initiatives reach more than 2,000 currently enrolled students, 10,000 future students, and thousands of educators across Texas and beyond.

What We're Fundraising For

The Women in STEM Leadership Collaborative pulls together "Women in STEM" focused student organizations & programs across UT Austin. Founded in 2010, the WEP Leadership Collaborative (WEPLC) connects & supports student organizations & programs focused on advancing gender equity & creating community in engineering. 

From 4 student organizations in 2010 to 18 today, the WEPLC has successfully fostered cross-college collaborations & sharing of resources, increased student engagement in leadership & professional development, & expanded mentoring.

The Women in STEM Leadership Collaborative builds upon WEPLC successes and connects in more organizations across campus with similar missions and goals. We provide opportunities such as the following to UT Austin Women in STEM student organizations and the broader STEM student community: 

• Collaboration opportunities and easier ways to connect with Women in STEM student organization leaders working in similar spaces with similar missions/goals 

• Leadership development opportunities and other collaborative events to advance Women in STEM student organization members and leaders and the greater women in STEM community 

• Access to a wide network of speakers, coaches, and role models for Women in STEM student organization programming 

• A UT Austin Women in STEM Leadership Conference in March as part of Women’s History Month

Your Impact

Support for the Women in STEM Leadership Collaborative not only supports 20+ student organizations across campus, but also all the student leaders, members and broader STEM community through leadership development and community creating opportunities. 

WEP's leadership seminar and leadership workshops provide students with the essential skills needed to thrive in the workplace and throughout their STEM career pathways. "I just wanted thank you for the opportunity to take the WEP Leadership seminar last semester. Not only was it a class that I really enjoyed, looked forward to, and learned a lot from, it has connected me with my first internship this summer!" -- Emily, 2nd year civil engineering student WEP provides leadership training, leadership officer retreats, support for fundraising and organizational programming, and more for the student organizations and students across STEM spaces on campus. 

Support through 40 for Forty advances training opportunities for student leaders as well as the technology platforms that foster community creating throughout the Women in STEM Leadership Collaborative. "It is upon established university offices like WEP (and the delightful individuals who staff them) that students like us build our foundations. By providing stability in contrast to the transient nature of students, y'all are amazing resources and provide infinite support for our endeavors." -- Emily, BS Chemical Engineering and student organization leader alum Support also helps send students to virtual conferences to advance their leadership skills and to connect them to the broader community of women in STEM. 

These experiences not only benefit the participating individual, but they also bring energy and ideas and a broader network into the Women in STEM Leadership Collaborative student organizations and broader community. "I would just like to thank you for allowing me to attend the WEPAN conference yesterday. Without your financial support, I would not have been able to attend and explore the possibilities of women in engineering. I was particularly impressed with the lecture about the possibilities for professors after tenure. It was not something I had thought about until after I attended that discussion panel but will continue to keep it in mind as I complete my doctoral studies here. I just wanted to let you know my appreciation for funding my attendance at the conference. Thank you again for providing me with this experience, I did learn a lot at the conference and has really placed on my heart the need to support and encourage the other women in my field." -- Jennifer, PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering