2016-2021 Strategic Plan
Vision
UCI’s Samueli School of Engineering is one of the nation’s top 10 producers of women and Hispanics earning Bachelors and Doctoral degrees.
Primary Goal
Enhance the diversity of students, faculty, and staff to reflect California’s demographic trends.
Initiative 1: Grow our populations of underrepresented undergraduate students to match or exceed the demographics of the three largest regions from where we draw our students (female population should exceed 30%; Latinx population should exceed 30%; African American population should exceed 10%).
Initiative 2: Grow our populations of underrepresented graduate students to match or exceed the national average (female population should exceed 35%; Latinx population should exceed 8.0%; African American population should exceed 4.5%).
Initiative 3: Increase percentage of new faculty hires from underrepresented groups to 50%.
Initiative 4: Double the recruitment and engagement of underrepresented STEM students (i.e., low-income, first-generation, underrepresented ethnic/racial groups, and females) via summer programs and a variety of outreach efforts to attract a diverse population to engineering, improve the preparation of entering students and better retain students through graduation.
Initiative 5: Double the number of culturally relevant programs and initiatives, and enhance student support spaces that further expand an environment in which all can thrive academically and professionally.
Goal 1
Grow our populations of underrepresented undergraduate students to match or exceed the demographics of the three largest regions from where we draw our students
Measures
- Increase percentage of Bachelor degrees awarded to females and students of color by 5%
- Increase female enrollment beyond 30%
- Increase Latinx enrollment beyond 30%
- Increase African American/Black enrollment beyond 10%
- Double the recruitment and engagement of underrepresented STEM students (i.e., low-income, first-generation, underrepresented ethnic/racial groups, and females) via summer programs and a variety of outreach efforts to attract a diverse population to engineering, improve the preparation of entering students and better retain students through graduation
- Double the number of culturally relevant programs and initiatives, and enhance student support spaces that further expand an environment in which all can thrive academically and professionally
Strategies
- Attract diverse high-achieving freshmen and transfer applicants through targeted pathway programs, feeder schools, and community partners
- Improve diversity of student body by offering cohort experiences and scholarships
- Retain students through grade monitoring and enriching academic experiences with mentoring, academic and career support
- Engage faculty, alumni, and diversity committee through recruitment, outreach, and diversity events
Tasks
- Establish a national and local recruitment plan with quantifiable metrics for recruited and retained students to both attract and retain diverse, talented students, faculty and staff (Dec 2016)
- Identify and align school- and campus-wide outreach STEM initiatives and engage partners (June 2016)
- Establish retention program for at-risk students (Sept 2016)
- Expand summer and academic-year programs and initiatives to engage prospective students and educate about admissions process (Dec 2016)
- Increase financial support and scholarships for incoming students (Jan 2017)
- Enhance OAI website to be more interactive and engaging (June 2019)
- Enhance formality of OAI mentor program (Sept 2019)
- Establish a process to reach undecided/undeclared students with Undergraduate Student Affairs Office and Undergraduate/Undeclared Advising Program (Sept 2019)
- Establish an early-alert system to track at-risk students with Undergraduate Student Affairs Office (Sept 2019)
Goal 2
Grow our populations of underrepresented graduate students to match or exceed the demographics of the three largest regions from where we draw our students
Measures
- Increase percentage of Master’s and Doctoral degrees awarded to females and students of color by 5%
- Increase female enrollment beyond 35%
- Increase Latinx enrollment beyond 8%
- Increase African American/Black enrollment beyond 4.5%
Strategies
- Attract diverse high-achieving applicants through summer undergraduate research programs, feeder schools and programs, and partners
- Enhance diversity of student body through cohort experiences and fellowships
- Retain students through transition programs, mentoring, academic and career support
- Engage faculty through recruitment, outreach, diversity, and retention events
Tasks
- Establish a national and local recruitment plan with quantifiable metrics for recruited and retained students to both attract and retain diverse, talented students, faculty and staff (Dec 2016)
- Establish a formal partnership program for minority-serving institutions through SURF, GO-UCI, GRAD Lab and other graduate school preparation programs (Dec 2016)
- Increase number of OAI Graduate Fellowships (Sept 2017)
- Establish programs to increase undergraduate student body awareness of graduate school and fellowships with Graduate Student Affairs Office and Graduate Division (Sept 2019)
- Increase faculty representation at all diversity conferences (Sept 2019)
- Establish peer-mentoring program for first-year doctoral students from underrepresented populations with Diversity Fellowships (Sept 2019)
- Formalize program to increase doctoral students awareness and competitiveness for national fellowships with Graduate Students Affairs Office and Graduate Division (Sept 2019)
- Establish engineering-focused summer undergraduate research program (Jan 2019)
- Formalize DECADE student council (June 2019)
- Establish early-alert monitoring process to track at-risk students with Graduate Student Affairs Office (Sept 2019)
- Increase faculty representation at all diversity conferences (Dec 2019)
Goal 3
Increase percentage of new faculty hires from underrepresented groups to 50%
Measures
- Implement policies and procedures in each department to increase or maintain our pace of inclusive excellence in the hiring of new faculty
- Increase new hires for women or underrepresented minorities to 50%
Strategies
- Use targeted recruitment strategy (e.g., UC Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and diversity conferences) to attract women and people of color to apply for UCI faculty positions
- Support transition of new faculty and faculty of color through mentoring and academic and career support
- Retain female faculty and faculty of color through ADVANCE programs
Tasks
- Establish a national and local recruitment plan with quantifiable metrics for recruited and retained students to both attract and retain diverse, talented students, faculty and staff (Dec 2016)
- Post positions on diversity lists and promote opportunities at diversity conferences (Sept 2016)
- Create equity webinars for search committees (June 2017)
- Provide new hires a senior faculty mentor (June 2018)
Goal 4
Increase faculty engagement in school-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives
Measure
- At least 80% of faculty engaged in school-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives and programs
Strategies
- Recognize individual and group contributions to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive environment
- Support faculty to incorporate existing diversity and inclusion programs in proposals
- Develop a communication network through faculty, department, and committee meetings
- Engage faculty through recruitment, outreach, and diversity programs
Tasks
- Develop diversity action plans at the school, department and center level that provide transparency of diversity and inclusion efforts by reporting outcomes using quantifiable metrics and relevant data
- Full representation from all department for GO-UCI and Visit Day (Dec 2017)
- Establish annual diversity meeting and biannual progress report for departments (Sept 2019)
- Establish annual broader impacts and inclusion forum for faculty and staff (Sept 2019)
- Establish and maintain robust accountability system with Dean to assess diversity and inclusion progress (Sept 2019)
- Increase faculty representation at all diversity conferences (Dec 2019)
Goal 5
Improve SSoE climate, including department and classroom, for students, faculty and staff from underrepresented groups
Measures
- At least 80% of faculty engaged in school-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives and programs
- Increase number of participants completing campus climate survey
- Improve results of campus climate survey
Strategies
- Increase awareness about SSOE’s climate for students, faculty and staff from underrepresented groups
- Increase faculty, staff, and students’ awareness on how to create a welcoming and supportive campus environment for people from underrepresented groups
- Increase access to resources to learn and apply effective pedagogies for teaching diverse students
- Acknowledge and recognize value of diversity efforts
Tasks
- Collaborate with Center for Engaged Instruction to provide inclusion training to teaching assistants (Sept 2018)
- Conduct regular climate assessments and address issues identified (Sept 2019)
- Establish Faculty and Staff Diversity Award (Sept 2019)
- Provide tools and resources to learn and apply effective pedagogies for teaching diverse students (Sept 2019)
- Provide tools and resources for department chairs and unit managers on departmental climate (Sept 2019)
