In support of our mission to dismantle social and institutional inequities, we have developed a five-year strategic plan which will guide the decisions and investments we make to ensure all students, faculty and staff feel valued and, most importantly, thrive in the School of Engineering at Rice University.

Our Objectives

Build an inclusive environment across the School of Engineering

Key Outcomes:

1. Establish a School of Engineering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Outreach Center focused on promoting diversity and supporting inclusion through various efforts and initiatives including research and assessment, community development, faculty development, engineering pedagogy and accountability.
2. Comprehensively assess the social and institutional environment using validated instruments to identify best practices, strengths, and areas for improvement across the School of Engineering.
3. Track the trajectories of Rice engineering students (undergraduate and graduate) from historically-excluded communities. This information will help enlighten the leadership on both successes and points of tension that might lead to the exclusion of STEM students from historically marginalized communities.
4. Develop an inclusive community through intentional and purposeful engagement that elevates marginalized voices. An inclusive culture includes transparency and accountability for addressing inequities that were a result of historical policies and practices.

Build engineering educational pathways that facilitate student trajectories from high school to engineering faculty positions

Key Outcomes:

1. By 2027, 35% of our tenure-track faculty will be from communities that have been historically excluded from engineering fields.
2. By 2027, 40% of engineering graduate students will be female, and 35% of our engineering graduate students will be from historically-excluded communities.

Develop and sustain strategic partnerships that facilitate engineering pathways for students from historically-excluded communities

Key Outcomes:

1. Partner with internal entities, such as the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry, Center for Teaching Excellence, Disabilities Resource Center, and the Office of the Vice Provost to develop campus-wide programming and/or changes that address educational inequities within Rice.
2. Identify and build partnerships and alliances with external institutions locally in Texas, with a special focus on the Houston community. External institutions will include non-profit organizations, corporations, and foundations interested in advancing equity in STEM. Existing partnerships will be leveraged to sustain recent progress made towards diversifying STEM fields.
3. Support Rice Central Administration and Admissions in efforts to diversify the undergraduate student population.