College of Engineering Diversity and Inclusion Initiative
By signing the Dean’s Diversity Letter released by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in 2014, our college established a firm commitment to build a more vibrant engineering community on campus. Our college has a diversity plan in place to guide our actions as we work to become more inclusive and diverse with regard to gender, race, or any other characteristic that makes our student body unique.
Our comprehensive plan is staged over three years with annual goals and metrics to evaluate progress. Adjustments will be made to continue beyond the first three years.
The first phase of our plan is to build the infrastructure to support work to improve diversity within the college.
Latest Accomplishments
- Our college has been recognized at the Bronze Level in the ASEE Diversity Recognition Program and was one of 29 to be recognized as Exemplar, a shining example of programs making great progress with a comprehensive plan in place.
- Denise Engebrecht appointed interim Director of Engineering Diversity
- Established College of Engineering Dean’s Endowment to Support Diversity & Inclusive Initiatives
- Held a Women in Engineering Symposium in Boise with industry partners to discuss goals and tactics to increase the number of women in the college
Planning for the Future
The following program components were modeled after evidence-based practices.
- Provide scholarships, fellowships, and undergraduate research
- Establish a mentoring network to develop student self-efficacy
- Increase number of programs like Women in Engineering events, focused on recruiting girls and minorities to create a pathway into engineering
- Deliver summer bridge program(s)
- Diversity and inclusion training for faculty, staff and students
