Diversity & Inclusion

WHAT THE COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION WILL DO 

Building on the many tasks undertaken in the last few years, as summarized in the  , the College commits to the following actions:

• Continue to collect and disseminate demographic data and survey-based climate information to track changes over time, identify new and on-going problems, and evaluate the success of interventions.
• Continue to maintain the COE Diversity and Inclusion website to make the commitment and efforts externally visible.
• Continue to recognize College community members who demonstrate sustained and impactful commitments to diversity and inclusion through the College Diversity and Inclusion Award.

For undergraduates

• Expand College outreach efforts to increase undergraduate applications and yield.
• Collaborate more actively and directly with admissions to identify and remove barriers to diversifying the student body (e.g., through conditional admissions).
• Continue to update and expand the Resources to Inspire Successful Engineers (RISE) program, a key retention effort for students from underrepresented groups.
• Engage Departments and faculty more extensively and more meaningfully in RISE activities.
• Continue to improve and expand the recently revived RISE summer academy for incoming students from underrepresented groups.
• Increase scholarships through a development campaign, and develop ways to ensure the funds are used as effectively as possible to improve recruitment and retention.
• Continue to implement the newly developed joint degree programs with Delaware State University and to develop additional joint programs.
• Maximize the frequency of offerings of freshmen and sophomore undergraduate classes (e.g., Statics), including summers, to enhance flexibility.
• Partner with research centers and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs on recruitment and outreach efforts. Encourage new REU and possibly Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) programs.

For graduate students

• Continue to capitalize on expanded outreach efforts for graduate student recruiting (e.g., GEM, Bridge to the Doctorate, ENGINE, McNair Scholars Program).
• Identify and eliminate barriers to admission, including minimizing or eliminating use of GRE and application fees.
• Continue to help departments adopt holistic admissions procedures.
• Continue to collaborate with departments to support overlap of recruitment opportunities with conference attendance and professional development (e.g., at SACNAS, NSBE, SWE, and SHPE conferences).
• Increase scholarships to enable development of first-year fellowships, five-year diversity fellowships, and/or bridge/transition funding.
• Continue to promote best practices for graduate student mentoring, including use of Individualized Development Plans (IDPs).
• Continue to clarify and promulgate policies related to graduate student progress and grievances.
• Continue to include events that facilitate conversations about diversity and inclusion within professional development initiatives.
• Meet with each department to review program data on surveys, enrollments, time to degree, and other indicators to best inform where targeted interventions are warranted.

For faculty and staff

• Continue use of questions on diversity, equity, and inclusion into end-of-semester student course feedback forms as mechanism for assessment and feedback.
• Expand faculty development opportunities through collaboration with the new Associate Provost for Faculty Development.
• Strengthen faculty mentoring programs.
• Facilitate engagement of faculty in College DEI efforts through grant broader impacts requirements.
• Help develop a pipeline of faculty recruits by supporting the invitation of promising senior PhD students and postdocs from other universities to give seminars in the College.
• Encourage participation in University DEI initiatives, such as the committees of the University of Delaware Anti-Racism Initiative (UDARI).
• Continue to evaluate pay equity for faculty and staff through a fair, replicable process, and request adjustments if needed.
• Continue to support positive informal interactions among faculty and staff through initiatives such as lunch scrambles.
• Continue use of College code of conduct as a mechanism to address concerns about faculty and staff behavior.
• Continue to encourage positive faculty-staff interactions through faculty-staff partnership awards.
• Continue to broaden advertising for staff positions and encourage use of best practices for staff hiring to avoid unintentional bias.
• Develop a staff mentoring program.

Everyone

The following are suggested actions each of us can take.

• Educate yourself about racism, sexism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and related topics. [see readings on UDARI website]
• Share your diversity/inclusion concerns and/or ideas with the appropriate Departmental DEI representative and/or Chief Diversity Advocate.
• If you experience or witness microagressions, discrimination, or any behavior that is inconsistent with the College values of inclusive excellence, say something, or report it to the Chief Diversity Advocate. or the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE).
• Attend one of the many diversity and inclusion events hosted by the College, Office of Institutional Equity (OIE), Center for the Study of Diversity, UD ADVANCE, or other groups.
• Become a Leveraging Equity and Diversity (LEAD) Ally.

Departments/Department Chairs

The following are suggested actions Departments and Department Chairs can take.

• Develop a department diversity, equity, and inclusion plan.
• Collaborate with College outreach efforts to increase undergraduate applications and yield.
• Support the student ambassador program in your department (e.g., MESS, ACES). Start one if one does not exist.
• Support COE-EmPOWER, the graduate student peer mentoring program.
• Implement holistic graduate admissions processes and a Department graduate student mentoring plan that encourages best practices, such as use of Individualized Development Plans (IDPs).
• Support faculty, staff, and student attendance at professional development events, such as SWE, NSBE, SHPE, and field-specific conferences.
• Work with COE Communications to publish stories of accomplishments of faculty, staff, and trainees who are part of groups that are traditionally marginalized in academia/STEM.
• Schedule departmental faculty meetings and events during traditional workday hours to minimize conflict for individuals who have other obligations.
• Review graduate student recruitment policies, such as the GRE requirement, and ensure a holistic review takes place.
• Coach faculty if negative interactions occur or are chronic; treat as an opportunity to improve the dept/lab/office culture and climate for all who are under your purview.
• In annual appraisals, Department Chairs should ask faculty and staff what they are doing to support diversity and inclusion and to ensure high quality, effective mentoring of junior faculty.
• Department Chairs continue to present DEI topics at department faculty meetings, by inviting the Departmental DEI representative, the College Chief Diversity Advocate, or another relevant guest.
• Develop student lounges and other community spaces for informal interactions among College community members.
• Highlight cultural backgrounds of current students through displays around the department.
• Develop an undergraduate peer mentoring program that pairs incoming students with more senior students.