Diversity Pledge

The University of Utah John and Marcia Price College of Engineering is a signatory to the ASEE Diversity Pledge which articulates the undersigned colleges’ position on equal opportunity and inclusiveness, and commits them to specific actions.  It states in part:

Engineering is empowering society in unprecedented ways. It is at the core of all innovation, resulting in tremendous societal and economic benefits; it is the most important discipline to address current and emerging challenges in the US and on a global scale; and it provides new, imaginative ways to enrich life. A fundamental requirement for growth of this enabling power, however, is for the engineering community to attract and engage people from all segments of our society. The evolving demographic landscape of the US, the need for constant economic competitiveness and the upholding of our core values to ensure equal opportunity and access to all who seek it, all point to the importance of actively embracing diversity and inclusiveness in all our endeavors. Diversity and inclusiveness are essential for the development of creative solutions to the world’s challenges and to enrich life.

While gains have been made in the participation of women, African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans in engineering in recent decades, significant progress is still needed to reach a level where the engineering community fully embraces all segments of our increasingly diverse and vibrant society. In particular, we must further promote the pursuit of engineering education to all those who have been historically under-represented within our discipline; provide an educational experience that is demonstrably equitable and inclusive; and actively work to improve the broader engineering culture to fully engage the diverse generations to come.

Committee Tasks

  • Collect, analyze, and present diversity data
  • Identify opportunities, including funding opportunities, to enhance diversity in the college
  • Support outreach activities for broadening participation
  • Interact with the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office of the University for exchanging data, and ideas
  • Interact with departments/programs in the college on diversity matters
  • Interact with student clubs to promote diversity

Committee Composition

  • Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (Price College of Engineering Diversity Officer)
  • One representative, Associate Chair/Associate Director, each from the 6 departments and the School of Computing in the college (If a department/school does not have an associate chair/associate director, the department/school chair/director could nominate a tenured or career line faculty member at the professor rank to serve on the diversity committee.)
  • One faculty representative from EAE
  • One undergraduate student representative
  • One graduate student representative