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Throughout our strategic planning workshops, your voices consistently affirmed and elevated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as core values and a critical part of who we want to become. Our college and departments have a shared vision to become leaders in engineering recruitment and retention through our innovative student, staff, and faculty DEI efforts. On an individual level, every person in this college plays an important role in creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture in the college of engineering and applied science. We can be champions, leaders, and for some of us, allies in this space. As the dean, I believe strongly in the importance of this work being integrated into all that we do.

To ensure that we are positioned to support our growing goals and aspirations that are surfacing through our college strategic planning efforts, I have been working with senior leadership on a college-wide structure. We are providing additional support in the engineering admin office with the creation of a new Assistant Dean (AD) for Organizational Development, Culture and Equity. The search for this AD position is underway. Together, these efforts will coordinate and support the IDEA Plan Actions, Campus DEI Goals, Inclusive Culture Council, BOLD Center, department justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) committees, as well as our recruiting and retention efforts.

I would like to share the full college DEI structure with you, below, along with a description of the responsibilities that each role holds. These are the leaders who will be working together with me to craft and implement a strategic approach to our DEI work so that we can reach our most aspirational goals.

We are open for feedback on this organization and we look forward to community input into the strategic planning efforts. In sharing this structure, I want to ensure that each of you can identify the leaders that you would work with for any ideas or issues that may pertain to your role. Please reach out to me or to any of these leaders with questions or to learn more.

Sincerely,
Dean Keith Molenaar

Our Organizational Structure

Strategic Planning and Implementation

• Dean Keith Molenaar is responsible for aligning the college's DEI strategy, initiatives and programs to achieve our ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ campus vision and goals. The college’s DEI strategy encompasses all aspects of student, staff and faculty recruitment, belonging and retention. The dean is responsible and accountable for cultivating an inclusive culture for the entire engineering community and achieving inclusive excellence throughout the college.
• AD for Strategic Initiatives Medford Moorer is responsible for leading, managing and supporting the establishment of DEI strategic priorities, identifying metrics for success, and evaluating progress toward those metrics to ensure that activities advance the unit's mission, vision, and values. Medford will work closely with the departmental JEDI leads and the ICC to track, update, and communicate DEI action plans through clear goals and metrics. 

Student DEI

• AD for Access, Inclusion and Student Programs Terri Wright is responsible for student-focused diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and actions, co-leading the Inclusive Culture Council, and partnering with internal and external stakeholders to promote the college’s DEI initiatives and conduct diversity-focused events.
• BOLD Center Director Amy Moreno-Sherwood is responsible for leading BOLD staff in implementing culturally relevant scholarship programs and mentoring centering historically marginalized undergraduate students, supporting affinity-based student societies, and collaborating with the BOLD Advisory Council, faculty, staff, and industry partners for BOLD scholar support and engagement. 

Staff DEI

• AD for Organizational Development, Culture and Equity (TBD) is responsible for developing sustainable methodologies for equitable staff recruitment, hiring, engagement and retention to build a diverse workforce, co-leading the Inclusive Culture Council, supporting CEAS stakeholders in participating in the campus culture survey and leading efforts to address equity issues impacting faculty and staff.

Faculty DEI

• AD for Faculty Advancement Fernando Rosario-Ortiz is responsible for all aspects of faculty advancement, including recruitment and promotion. The Office of Faculty Advancement, which includes Robyn Sandekian and Laura Vaznelis-Ward, is working on initiatives that include ensuring inclusive searches for all faculty hiring actions, developing and supporting mentoring programs for new and existing faculty, working with units on the development of clear and equitable criteria for comprehensive review, promotion, and tenure, and recognizing faculty for their contributions to the overall mission of the college.  

 College Councils

• Inclusive Culture Council (ICC) provides strategic leadership and transparency for cultivating an inclusive, equitable, interculturally competent, and supportive college environment. The ICC strives to bring justice, equity, diversity and inclusion leaders within the college together for systematic, intentional and integrative planning and to formalize equitable and inclusive practices with established metrics. The council works closely with the college’s representative to the IDEA Council to ensure alignment with the university’s equity, diversity and inclusion overall goals.
• BOLD Advisory Committee (BAC) advises the BOLD Center on continually improving access to engineering education for students historically underserved in STEM fields.
• Engineering Staff Council strives to create a welcoming, equitable environment for all staff members within the College of Engineering and Applied Science in order to foster a more inclusive and collaborative workplace.
• Faculty Governance Committee serves in an advisory capacity to the dean in making decisions related to issues of administration of the college, including issues that impact DEI such as resource policy and distribution, faculty evaluations and grievances, and faculty advancement.