EAST College Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan 2023-2024

Mission - Our mission is to provide a safe, high-quality, welcoming environment for all people associated with the College of Engineering, Applied Science & Technology.

Vision – Create an engaging learning environment that is inclusive, welcoming, and accessible to all.

Values – Culture of respect, equal opportunities for learning and innovation, inclusion, belonging, and connections.

Analysis of College by EDI Committee

Strengths

• Diverse multi-media
• Partnerships with school districts
• Committed faculty and staff
• Strong recruiting and advising group

Weaknesses

• Many programs are statistically dominated by white males
• Not enough time for faculty and staff to be sufficiently involved in outreach programs

Opportunities

• Female tutors
• Mentoring for military veterans
• Additional mentoring
• NUAMES - recruiting more from charter high school on campus

 Threats

• Alternative learning environments: Pluralsight, Lambda School, LinkedIn Learning, etc.

 Strategic Initiatives for 2020-2025

1.0 Focus Area - Students

Outcomes:

1. Provide welcoming/creative environment for students in new facilities
2. Provide student communities to support gender and ethnicity to improve recruitment
3. and retention
4. Provide first-year programs to increase retention
5. Provide resources and opportunities for engagement and interaction
6. Recruit, develop, and graduate a talented and diverse body of students
7. Provide a pipeline of outreach activities to increase student enrollment

Metrics:

1. Number of participants in communities and programs
2. Enrollment statistics by gender and ethnicity
3. Gender- and ethnicity-based scholarships

1.1 Build communities through creative learning spaces

New buildings (Noorda Building & CAE Building)

1.2 Build student communities

1.2.1 Women in computing, engineering & technology (WCET)

1.2.2 Science, Technology, Engineering Programs (STEP) Club

1.2.3 Women in sales group

1.2.4 Working to create local chapter of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

1.3 First-year programs

1.3.1 WEST Scholars

1.3.2 CS 1400 - First time coders

1.4 Design and develop resources and opportunities for engagement and interaction

1.4.1 Tech-Moms

1.4.2 Increasing diversity in engineering research effort

1.4.3 Peer mentors in college

1.5 Recruit, develop, and graduate a talented and diverse body of students

1.5.1 Enrollment

• CS Flex
• Course delivery to attract diverse populations (hybrid, flex, online)
• CS 1400 (intro course for first-time coders only--help those folks who have never programmed before)
• Applied Calc courses
• Growth versus fixed mindset

1.5.2 Scholarships

1.6 Pipeline programs

1.6.1 WSU PREP

1.6.2 Girls welding camp

1.6.3 Girl Power Code Camp

1.6.4 Parent/daughter engineering

1.6.5 Summer bridge

1.6.6 Computing innovation pathway

1.6.7 Girl scouts STEM day
 

2.0 Focus Area - Inclusive Teaching

Outcomes:

1. Increase awareness of diversity and inclusion topics through development programs
2. Increase female and ethnic minority faculty hiring and improve retention
3. Ensure non-trad leadership roles by gender and ethnicity

Metrics:

1. Participants in training and activities
2. Faculty statistics by gender and ethnicity
3. Non-trad leadership roles by gender and ethnicity

2.1 Faculty development programs

2.1.1 Communities of practice

• Cultural listening sessions for EAST
• EAST Canvas Connections

2.1.2 Diversity and inclusion book topics

2.1.3 Promoting student success series

2.1.4 Inclusivity training

2.1.5 Weber State search advocate program

2.2 Faculty recruiting/hiring/retention

• Give preference for female/ethnic diverse candidates
• Multimedia images and social media promotions for target populations
• Actively recruiting diverse populations
• KSL vs HigherEdJobs

2.3 Develop talented and diverse leadership

3.0 Plans for Supporting, Tracking, and Updating the Strategic Plan

This plan will be managed, supported, and updated by the College Diversity and Inclusion Committee annually.

Future Goals

1. Capture an email and phone number address for every school aged activity participant. 
   1. New outreach director and EAST adviser focus on this database.
2. Committee members from each program/department have a discussion with the department chair and program director about how the unit can improve in hiring 2.2.
3. Committee members from each program/department lead a discussion in a program/department meeting about one or two of the following…
   1. Inclusive assignments
   2. Inclusive language
   3. Inclusive classrooms
   4. Handling difficult conversations
4. Increase the number of metrics as specified in the 3.0 section of the narrative.

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March 7, 2024

Dear Colleague,

Thank you for your application to the ASEE Diversity Recognition Program for Silver-Level recognition. After completing the review of your application, the review committee has recommended reaffirmation at the Bronze level for your institution.

The process for reviewing applications consisted of multiple levels of review to assess progress towards the goals of your Diversity Plan and consistency in the review process. All applications were reviewed by engineering deans who are members of the Engineering Deans Council Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Each application was evaluated by 3 reviewers using a rubric drawn from the ADRP guidelines.

The evaluation rubric assessed the application according to the three guidelines for Silver-level recognition, namely,

1. 1. The significance of the achievements to-date and progress towards achieving the goals identified in the diversity plan; include actions undertaken, metrics used to measure progress, and current status of initiatives and metrics.
2. The quality of the update on the college culture and how improvements in inclusivity are being measured and progress in culture since the bronze award.
3. The quality of the 3-year sustainability 3-plan for future progress including actions taken to make sure the progress is sustainable, embedded in college systems and structures, and further enhances diversity.

A critical metric in the assessment was the significance of the changes that have occurred since receipt of Bronze-level award and how these changes were aligned with your college-level (or equivalent)

Diversity Plan.
The committee received 18 applications for Silver-level recognition. The committee was impressed by the quality of the applications and the number of programs that engineering colleges (or equivalent) are implementing to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion. While it will be time prohibitive to provide details evaluations for all applications, the list of items below were common issues in the evaluation that led the committee to recommend reaffirmation at the Bronze level:

• Lack of significant progress towards goals that were clearly aligned with the Diversity Plan.
• Lack of clear metrics for how improvements in inclusivity are being measured and / or how the college culture has improved since receipt of the Bronze-level award.
• Insufficient evidence that faculty, staff, and student perspectives were obtained as part of ongoing efforts for improvement.
• Lack of a clear correlation between the goals of the Diversity Plan, the metrics used to assess progress, and the progress that has occurred since receiving Bronze-level status. 
• Insufficient detail in the sustainability plan or lack of a clear sustainability plan.

The committee recognizes the time and effort were involved in preparing an application for Silver-level recognition. We appreciate your investment of time in applying. Reaffirmation at the Bronze level allows an institution to continue progressing towards the goals of their plan. Bronze-level recognition is
valid until December 31, 2026, and all institutions reaffirmed at the Bronze-level can reapply for Silverlevel recognition at any time in the next three years.

Let me reiterate the difficulty in making the decision to reaffirm institutions at the Bronze-level. The committee felt that Silver-level recognition should be reserved for those programs that had made significant progress since receipt of the Bronze-level award, and that the significant progress should be clearly aligned with the goals of their Diversity Plan.

Thank you again for your application. Your participation in the ASEE Diversity Recognition Program demonstrates your strong commitment to collective progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion and recognizes the important role that all of our institutions play in continually improving the engineering
profession. You are to be congratulated for your commitment to these shared values.

Sincerely,
Javier Kypuros
Chair, EDC Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Dean
College of Engineering
University of Texas at Tyler

ADRP 2024 Silver Application Bronze Reaffirmation Award Letter_Weber State University (pdf)