Skip to main content

Engineering excellence for the public good

Strategic Plan 2022-2027

Embracing the power of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)

UW students perform Materials Science and Engineering experiments in various MSE labs

Organizations are most innovative when their members represent and draw upon a variety of backgrounds and respect the perspectives that arise from these differences. For these reasons, DEI is central to our mission of producing outstanding engineers. We commit to building a culture where all members thrive, are valued and feel a sense of belonging.

Accomplishments to date

  •    

    Establishment and growth of the Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE)

    Aligning staff talent and skills with the unique needs of the College of Engineering.

  •    

    Establishment of the Incident Reporting System and Advocate Training

    This system ensures that concerns are addressed promptly and equitably, fostering a safer and more inclusive environment.

  •    

    Assembled the OIE Advisory Board

    A diverse group of stakeholders has been assembled to guide our DEI efforts, providing critical insights and support. Their voices champion our efforts and play a crucial role in articulating the significance of DEI in engineering.

  •    

    Inclusive Excellence Faculty Fellowship Program

    Launched to equip faculty with the tools to integrate DEI principles into their curricula, this program's inaugural cohort included 15 UW Engineering faculty members.

  •    

    Faculty Hiring Toolkit

    We developed an accessible guide for inclusive and equitable hiring practices, from recruitment through to hiring, supported by data-driven decision-making. This includes ensuring that selection rubrics are fair and consistently applied. The dashboard has been involved in over 100 faculty searches, helping to diversify candidate pools and increase recruit-to-hire offer rates by 35%

  •    

    Pathways to Inclusive Excellence (PIE)

    This initiative has fostered increased collaboration between the College of Engineering’s three major access programs — STARS, Engineering Dean’s Scholars, and the Allen School Scholars Program — supporting the success of marginalized populations.

  •    

    DEI learning tools and opportunities

    We introduced a range of workshops and courses, including:

    • Self-care in the Face of Burnout and Crisis
    • Importance of Land Acknowledgement
    • Inclusive Student Engagement in Donor Stewardship
    • Microaggressions Online Course
    • Inclusive Advising Practices
    • Responding to Donor DEI Objections
    • College of Engineering Community Conversations Facilitators Toolkit

To embrace the power of diversity, equity and inclusion, we will:

JUMP TO: Attract, recruit, select & retain Structures and practices Build a robust community

   

STRATEGY 1

Attract, recruit, select and retain diverse students, faculty and staff

Five-year Goals:

Establish ARSR (attract, recruit, select and retain) goals and best practices for underrepresented groups and/or specific dimensions of diversity. Review ARSR systems with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and intercultural competency lenses.

Increase our transparency by establishing a diversity data collection to document, evaluate and share our recruitment and retention efforts.

Third year (2024-2025)

  • Sustain and promote the programs and initiatives launched in years one and two of the strategic plan
  • Provide individual consultation and an Inclusive Hiring Toolkit to faculty search committees to ensure hiring processes are equitable.
  • Develop and publish OIE impact reports.
  • Require all College hiring managers to be trained on equitable hiring practices and interview processes.
  • Identify and implement best practices for achieving recruitment, admissions and hiring goals.
  • Review all current ARSR systems, identify and encourage current best practices being used by departments and units.
  • Work with College and UW leaders to identify and establish legally permissible recruitment, admissions and hiring goals.
   

STRATEGY 2

Develop structures, practices and people skills that embed and leverage the value of DEI in all College activities

Five-year Goals:

Develop and actualize an integrated DEI structure to increase communication and collaboration programs and plans for leaders and staff.

Establish a DEI leadership training and development program to enhance knowledge and skills to facilitate organizational change.

Create an intercultural development manager’s training program and integrate intercultural development in our curriculum and orientation programs.

Develop and implement a College-wide DEI communications plan.

Recognize, amplify and reward DEI and social good leadership in the College.

Third year (2024-2025)

  • Deploy and promote the College’s Community Conversations initiative in academic departments and administrative units.
  • Continue to provide trainings on topics including microaggressions, anti-racism, gender, identity, conflict resolution and discourse engagement.
  • Expand adoption of an integrated DEI structure with departments.
  • Standardize data collection and reporting related to DEI initiatives and activities of all College units.
  • Implement an IE Fellowship program.
  • Provide trainings on topics including microaggressions,anti-racism, gender, identity, conflict resolution and discourse engagement.
  • Facilitate College town halls, discussion groups, workshops and seminar series for DEI- centered growth.
  • Establish and brand the Office for Inclusive Excellence (OIE); develop a communications plan to raise awareness of the OIE role, responsibilities, accountabilities, achievements, current efforts and resources; and build collaborations with College and UW partners.
  • Initiate training and development program for leaders and change agents on DEI, intercultural competence and facilitating change.
  • Develop trainings on topics including microaggressions, anti-racism, gender, identity, conflict resolution and discourse engagement.
  • Develop a sustainable Inclusive Excellence (IE) Fellowship program for faculty and graduate students to spend one quarter with the OIE learning how to integrate DEI into curriculum.
  • Develop annual DEI or IE awards and recognition; grant or seed funding for DEI activities.
   

STRATEGY 3

Build a robust College community culture where all members thrive, are valued and feel a sense of belonging

Five-year Goals:

Increase dialogue and shared understanding around DEI through systems to increase awareness, prevention, reporting, response and resolution of bias and harassment incidents.

Identify, highlight, support and develop best practices on welcoming and supporting underserved or underrepresented faculty, staff and students.

Develop and put into action specific measures to acknowledge and support sovereignty and increase collaboration with tribal communities.

Deepen and expand practices that increase the voice and involvement of underserved or underrepresented groups in decision-making processes.

Prioritize the health and wellness of all our students, staff and faculty by listening, offering information and resources, creating flexibility when needed and ensuring no one feels they must choose between health and productivity.

Third year (2024-2025)

  • Deploy and promote College of Engineering’s Community Conversations initiative in academic departments and administrative units.
  • Continue to support campus wide efforts to create a regional American Indian and Alaska Native faculty development consortium.
  • Continue to provide trainings on topics including microaggressions, anti-racism, gender, identity, conflict resolution and discourse engagement.
  • Provide more robust development and community-building opportunities for women and nonbinary students through WE Rise (Women Engineers Rise).
  • Offer discussion sessions to faculty stakeholder groups to advance community-building and provide increased community discussion.
  • Refine faculty onboarding and matriculation processes.
  • Create regional American Indian and Alaska Native faculty development consortium in collaboration with the UW College of the Environment and tribal colleges.
  • Implement new inclusion efforts aimed at underrepresented groups.
  • Establish quarterly or biannual meetings between department chairs, the dean and tribal leaders.
  • Introduce critical response incident systems.
  • Launch compliance and conflict resolution systems.
  • Inventory and evaluate current inclusion efforts for underrepresented groups, and identify new inclusion efforts for these groups.
  • Encourage the incorporation of the University’s recommended land acknowledgment into all proceedings as the first step in building sustainable relationships with indigenous communities.