This plan is a process in which ME’s Diversity and Outreach Committee has focused on a vision for the future and identified the department's goals and objectives.

Completed and ongoing priorities

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  Established the UW Mechanical Engineering DEI Officer position

  •  DEI officer hire
  •  Work with the Diversity & Outreach (D&O) Committee
  •  Advise on hiring for specific staff and faculty positions
•    

  Elevating student voices

  •  Have representation from graduate and undergraduate students representation on the D&O committee
  •  Offer committee spots for MEGA, MESAR, ASME and any other student groups on the committee
  •  Provide feedback on the student survey and have ongoing discussions about survey results
  •  Continue forum discussions
  •  Focusing communications activities on students
•    

  Grow DEI knowledge in the College and departments

  •  Forum discussions
  •  DEI resources website
  •  Entering Research class
  •  Newsletters
  •  DEI programming
•    

  Partnering with departments

  •  Partner with the College of Engineering
  •  Partner with other departments, particularly departments outside the college with a DEI-focused mission
  •  Advise on hiring for specific staff and faculty positions
•    

  Building strategic partnerships

  •  Partnering with clubs such as Brotherhood Initiative, AVELA (A Vision for Electronic Literacy & Access), the Washington State Academic RedShirt (STARS) program, community colleges, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) amongst others
  •  Partnering with alums who are industry leaders on a student mentorship program.
•    

  Improve faculty hiring processes

  •  Common search committee rubrics and processes
  •  Increase the number of places jobs are posted and diversify where they are posted
•    

  Increase transparency by growing communications infrastructures

  •  Student, faculty, and staff surveys
  •  Email updates
  •  Avenues for students to access/talk to chair
  •  Reporting of department climate survey results (students, staff, and faculty)
•    

  Inclusive Excellence Faculty Fellows

  •  DEI officer hire
  •  Work with the Diversity & Outreach (D&O) Committee
  •  Advise on hiring for specific staff and faculty positions
•    

  Let’s Talk Diversity: Speaker Series

  •  DEI Officer’s bi-weekly forums
  •  Invite speakers from different departments, particularly for departments where research on DEI is occurring
  •  Engineering Education Research seminars
  •  Engineering Design for Diverse Populations seminars
  •  Affinity group in STEM seminars
•    

  D&O Provides compensation for DEI-related honorariums

  •  Compensation for student groups that  want to focus on DEI-related issues or gatherings