Diversity and Inclusion Plan
Diversity plan purpose and mission
Accessibility, diversity, and inclusion is a core value of the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia. As stated in our strategic plan, Engineering Compass, we will develop strategies to
“Ensure an inclusive environment and increase the accessibility of our programs to an increasingly diverse population, leading to an increase in the diversity of thought through increased participation of underrepresented groups in our programs.”
The purpose of our Diversity and Inclusion Plan is to provide a framework for ensuring that we are continually assessing the inclusivity of our engineering community in the college and are constantly working towards enhancing the diversity of our student body and faculty. The overarching goal of our plan to is to have a student body and faculty body that more closely aligns with the populations that we serve as a public, land-grant institution.
Goals, objectives, priorities
The first goal is to more closely align the demographics of our undergraduate student body with the populations that we serve in the state of Georgia. We will achieve this goal by increasing the pool of qualified applicants through targeted outreach efforts; increasing the yield of applicants from underrepresented groups in engineering through improved communications during the admissions process; and ensuring the appropriate level of mentoring and support services to retain underrepresented engineering students to degree completion.
The second goal is to increase the number of underrepresented students choosing to pursue advanced studies with an emphasis on those that seek a doctoral degree. We will accomplish this goal by increasing the opportunities for underrepresented students seeking advanced degrees through targeted mentoring programs at the undergraduate level; increased utilization of internal and external funding mechanisms to provide support for advanced studies; and proper mentoring of students on professional options (industry/academia/government) that will be enhanced through the completion of an advanced degree.
The third and final goal is to ensure that faculty candidates from underrepresented groups in engineering are being actively sought in the hiring process and that there is no implicit bias in our screening and interview of all candidates. We will accomplish this goal by having all faculty and staff trained in proper interview techniques that eliminate implicit bias and to structure our virtual and on-campus interviews to ensure inclusivity.
All three of these goals have equal priority.
How will progress be tracked?
Metrics for the College of Engineering will be tracked using consistent data sources obtained from the UGA Office of Institutional Research. Internal metrics will be compared to national benchmarks based on the ASEE data for Engineering Colleges. The internal metrics and benchmarking data will be placed on line and presented to the College Strategic Planning Committee, the College Advisory Board, and the College Alumni Board on an annual basis.
Who is accountable for ensuring that diversity plan is implemented?
Donald J. Leo
Dean and UGA Foundation Professor in Engineering
130 Paul D. Coverdell Center
Athens, GA 30602
Phone: 706-542-1653
Fax: 706-542-8806
email: donleo@uga.edu