19 th IN THE NATION
in bachelor’s degrees awarded to women.
EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
WE ARE COMMITTEDto expanding access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education while engaging all segments of society in technological advancement. We have been a major contributor to advancing STEM diversity for over forty-fi ve years, prior to most national initiatives in this area. Our diversity efforts are founded upon two pillars: the STEM Smart programs and the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) honors program. STEM Smart is committed to the development of programs that deliver a variety of enrichment, support activities, and services to underrepresented minority and economically underserved students. WISE Honors offers educational and professional STEM opportunities for women at all levels of their development by facilitating individual, institutional, and social change. Together, these programs have broad reaching impact that we leverage to lead efforts towards broadening participation in engineering and applied sciences. |
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objectives:
- BUILD a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion that provides a welcoming environment for everyone.
- FOSTER a respectful and tolerant community of scholars within which the talents and skills of individuals with diverse backgrounds, passions, and experiences can be cultivated and harnessed to full potential.
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ENGAGE the broader community to expand awareness, accessibility, and preparation in engineering
and applied sciences.
strategies:
1. Foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. Engineering and applied science disciplines in the US are challenged by a lack of diversity. Targeted eff orts are needed to ensure our disciplines build welcoming and supportive environments that elevate minorities in the profession and encourage broad participation. We will foster a culture that embraces diversity as strength, in which equity and inclusion shape a community that respects all individuals.
a. Promote inclusive teaching and research: We will expand our ongoing eff orts to develop and follow best practices for the recruitment and retention of faculty, students and staff who contribute to the diversity goals. These practices include proactive recruitment strategies, mentoring programs to support success as well as training on inclusion, diversity and equity through workshops on creating inclusive and brave classrooms and spaces.
b. Create opportunities: Dedicated curricula and opportunities will be expanded to help students excel. This includes broadening the experiential learning opportunities that WISE Honors offers through its recently launched four-year curriculum. We will work to grow scholarships and support for both first-year students and transfers, and leverage the New York State Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Programs (CSTEP) and the NSF-funded Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) to recruit and retain diverse students in STEM. Graduate-student recruitment and retention will be enhanced through collaboration with the Center for Inclusive Education.
c. Build a supportive culture: CEAS will lead outreach/diversity efforts for a more effective implementation of the strategies and activities of individual departments and programs. This will be facilitated with the recent addition of an Associate Dean for Diversity and Outreach to the College leadership team. CEAS-wide teams will be engaged to seek funding from federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and industries to support new initiatives and research their impact to CEAS and beyond.
2. Expand outreach and partnerships to broaden participation. Engineering and applied science professions must be made accessible and tangible to all, particularly to those without direct personal exposure from their family or community. We will continue our existing outreach programs and partnerships while creating new ones to recruit and retain talent as well as increasing technical literacy.
a. Expand our reach: Our College is active in K-12 outreach with many events and programs, including TechPREP, STEM Tech, High School WISE, ECE Outreach and the Garcia Research Scholar Program. Existing programs for middle- and high-school students, teachers, counselors and administrators will be expanded to reach more individuals including parents and the general public. Participation within the University will be expanded by engaging non-STEM students in engineering and applied science projects and through collaboration with other colleges to:
– Develop and offer new courses introducing computational thinking and the fundamentals of coding to all University students, and
– Integrate digital intelligence training in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
b. Maintain a large network of partners: We will maintain and expand strong connections with industry and local and national networks working to broaden participation in engineering and the applied sciences. Examples include the NSF-funded LSAMP, National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), the Association of American Universities (AAU), the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and other professional societies. Partnerships with local community colleges, school districts, alumni, and corporations will be expanded to serve Long Island and the New York Metropolitan Area.
c. Organize College-wide efforts: We will lead outreach and diversity efforts for a more effective implementation of the strategies and activities of individual departments and programs. This will be facilitated with the recent addition of an Associate Dean for Diversity and Outreach to our leadership team. College-wide teams will be engaged to seek funding from federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and industries to support new initiatives and research their impact at Stony Brook and beyond.
3. Be steadfast in progress . We will diligently pursue efforts to broaden participation in engineering and applied sciences. Steady progress will be made with careful planning, broad collaboration, and regular benchmarking and assessment.
a. Collaborative planning : Our departments will develop, implement and continuously assess the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion plans, which will be adapted to reflect and respond to the reality of their respective peer community. Plans will be drafted in connection with a College-wide committee to share ideas and commonalities and to identify opportunities for collaboration. These plans will be instrumental in assessment of diversity progress as well as for engagement of faculty in research and educational initiatives.
b. Institutional transformation and accountability: Systemic improvement will be advanced by addressing diversity and outreach activities in annual faculty reviews, formally introducing such activities as an integral component of the faculty promotion and tenure process. Experts from the Chief Diversity Officer´s unit will support faculty diversity and inclusion efforts, and provide feedback on evaluations.
c. Regular benchmarking and assessment: Progress will be tracked and strategies will be revised through regular quantitative and qualitative assessments. Qualitative insight will be obtained with town hall meetings and focus groups, leveraging student clubs, mentors, and the Dean’s Council of Student Advisors. Quantitative measures of student, faculty, and staff demographics will be tracked both broadly and within individual programs. Individual assessments will be reviewed to identify successful strategies and best practices.