Dean's Messages

Message from the Dean: DEI organizational structure

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 20:13:56 +0000

Message from the Dean: DEI organizational structure Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 01/14/2023 - 13:13 Keith Molenaar

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 CU �鶹ӰԺ 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.

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. 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.

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Dean's Message: May 21, 2022

Anonymous — Thu, 19 May 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Dean's Message: May 21, 2022 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/19/2022 - 00:00

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States encompassing more than 50 distinct heritages. This broad term includes cultures from the entire Asian continent—including East, Southeast and South Asia—and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.

The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese people to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, honoring the contribution of many Chinese laborers who laid the tracks. The term “Asian American” was originally coined in 1968 at the University of California Berkeley by two Asian heritage activists, Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka. Gee and Ichioka promoted solidarity, rejected other offensive terms, and advocated for cross-racial and cross-ethnic solidarity.

CU �鶹ӰԺ Engineering recognizes that the terms “Asian American” and “Asian Pacific Islander” may not fully capture the unique experiences of individuals who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander. We also recognize that a term that feels right for one person may not adequately capture the experience of another. The term sometimes has the practical effect of omitting cultural differences and masking the needs of specific communities and has excluded the experience of South, Southeast, Central, and West Asians.

During the month of May, we celebrate the contributions of researchers, instructors, student leaders and alumni of our college. We seek to celebrate as broadly and inclusively as possible, and to encourage individuals to proudly claim whatever label(s) best describe how they personally identify. As a college we come together to educate ourselves, offer allyship, oppose all expressions of AAPI hate and affirm and appreciate the AAPI members of our community.

Keith Molenaar
Acting Dean

Terri Wright
Assistant Dean for Access, Inclusion and Student Programs

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Dean's Message: March 15, 2022

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 19:25:20 +0000

Dean's Message: March 15, 2022 Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/15/2022 - 13:25

March is Women's History Month, a celebration of the vital role of women in U.S. history. We take this opportunity to highlight the year-round accomplishments of the students, faculty and staff who are leaders in engineering and applied science.

From Minnette E. Frankenberger, our first female graduate in 1903 (civil engineering), to Zoya Popovic, distinguished professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering who was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering, women in the college have been leading the way and lighting the path so that others may follow.

In 2017, the College of Engineering and Applied Science made it part of our strategic vision to become the first public engineering college to reach gender parity in our undergraduate population, but our commitment to supporting women in engineering goes back decades. In 1988, we started the Women in Engineering Program, one of the first five in the country, at a time when women made up less than 10% of engineering professionals nationally. The program provided course counseling, a dedicated resource center, scholarships and outreach to K-12 girls and young women considering a career in engineering.

Fast forward to today, when our undergraduate female population is nearly 30%, our graduate female population is at 32% and students are excelling on all fronts. Just a few examples are the five engineering students who earned Brook Owens Fellowships, graduate student Elizabeth Hjelvik's National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and Varsha Rao’s first place win in the Three Minute Thesis competition.

Women in the college are also leading conversations across campus about empowerment, leadership and being engineers. Among the affinity-based professional societies housed in the BOLD Center, four are dedicated to women in engineering:

Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
CU Women of Color in STEM (WoC STEM)
Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics (WoAA)
CU Women in Computing (CU WiC)

SWE recently hosted a BOLD Power Hour in celebration of Women’s History Month featuring Janet Tsai, assistant teaching professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, on discussing bias and designing for inclusion in engineering education and engineering practice. WoAA hosted a power hour on the history of women in STEM.

Celebrate this Month

Wednesday, March 16 – CU WiC will be hosting a “women empowered themed paint night” power hour
Tuesday, March 29 – The college is co-sponsoring a virtual event on the History of Women in Jazz
Wednesday, March 30 – The BOLD Center is sponsoring a BOLD Celebrates Womxn & Femmes networking event.

At the Women’s Leadership Symposium earlier this month, Director of Inclusive Culture Amy Moreno-Sherwood and Jesica Rush Leeker, Stephen M. Dunn Professor of Engineering Management and Entrepreneurship, presented on cultivating and demonstrating authenticity as a leader.

Amy shared her key takeaways: “It was incredible to have a full room of women from our campus community come together to identify the negative emotions, limiting beliefs, and external influences that impact or deter their authenticity. The theme was 'filling each other’s cup,' and it was moving to experience the group anchoring in their values and preparing to more intentionally align their behaviors. I also think it is important to encourage our college to reflect on the ways we may be contributing to limiting beliefs and deterring authenticity from women and nonbinary members of our community through various cultural norms and behaviors. Individuals can continue to develop knowledge, skills, and take risks to demonstrate their authenticity; however, the cultural and structural norms and interpersonal interactions need to cultivate and encourage it.”

On International Women’s Day, March 8, Assistant Dean for Access, Inclusion and Student Programs Terri Wright introduced the Women in Engineering networking event and panel discussion with these alumnae leaders in engineering.

Bhavna Chhabra (CompSci’95) of Google
Suzi Jewett (MechEngr’99, MS’00) of Intel
Nancy Thonen (ChemEngr’88) of Suncor Energy
Nora Tucker (ChemEngr’01) of Gusto
Jannine Vela-Rouw (EngrPlus, AeroEngr’18) of Ball Aerospace

Panelists shared their experiences and advice on a wide range of topics from the professors who mentored them and being the only woman in the room to addressing bias and creating a support network. The event kicked off with a video in celebration of International Women’s Day featuring faculty and student perspectives on being a woman in engineering at the college.

Watch the Video

Women make up 30% of our faculty and are regularly winning grants, awards and national recognition for their teaching and research. From Diane McKnight’s recognition as a CU Distinguished Professor in December 2021 and the researchers who garnered six of our 12 NSF CAREER awards in 2021 to Professor Virgina Ferguson’s election to the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering’s College of Fellows, the women of the College of Engineering and Applied Science are creating an inclusive and supportive community in the college and leading discovery and innovation for the betterment of individuals and society.

Women make up nearly 70% of our staff, and are leading across campus and in the world. Robin McClanahan in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering received the 2021 college Outstanding Staff Award for her contributions to her unit and to the college. Two staff members along with a faculty member and a PhD candidate were recognized in 2021 by the the Center for Inclusion and Social Change as “Women Who Make a Difference” and are paving the way for other women at CU �鶹ӰԺ.

Alisha Stewart, Senior Director of Engineering Human Resources
Angela Bielefeldt, Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering and Engineering Plus
Rajshree Shrestha, Graduate Program Manager, Computer Science
Jessie Finocchiaro, PhD candidate, Theoretical Computer Science

Today and every day, we celebrate the accomplishments of women who are leaders in engineering and applied science. During Women's History Month and throughout the year, we invite you to learn more about the significant contributions of women in engineering and applied science.

Keith Molenaar
Acting Dean

Terri Wright
Assistant Dean for Access, Inclusion and Student Programs

We want your feedback. If this message sparks a thought, please share it through the college feedback form. All responses are anonymous, unless you include contact information, and will be read by college leadership.

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Dean's Message: Feb. 21, 2022

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 15:54:52 +0000

Dean's Message: Feb. 21, 2022 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/21/2022 - 08:54

In February, we celebrate Black History Month to reflect upon and recognize the many contributions of Black and African American community members to our college and to the field of engineering.

Celebrating Engineering Leaders
Black leaders we want to feature in our college this month include pioneering professor emeritus Skip Ellis, who was the first African American to receive a PhD in computer science in the United States; Jessica Rush Leeker, professor and faculty director of undergraduate education in CU �鶹ӰԺ’s Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program, who teaches engineering design and entrepreneurial development through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion; Brian Argrow, Schaden Leadership Professor and chair of the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, who was recently recognized as a member of the National Academy of Engineers, one of the highest distinctions an engineer can receive; and Tanya Ennis, director of the BOLD Center, which supports CU Engineering students who are traditionally underrepresented in engineering and has been at the heart of our commitment to creating a just, diverse and inclusive learning environment for more than a decade.

The Engineering Journey
BOLD Student Societies create inclusive spaces for students to connect around interests and cultures while being supported in their journey to become professional engineers. Among them is the CU �鶹ӰԺ chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, whose mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community. The NSBE chapter is led by Elizabeth Eyeson, Ahmed Ashmaig and Halima Afrah, with Tanya Ennis serving as the chapter advisor for more than 10 years.

The chapter recently invited Kalonji Nzinga, assistant professor in the School of Education, to speak at a Black History Month Power Hour on the history of spoken word, language and rap in the U.S. Black Liberation Movement. Throughout the academic year, the team has hosted a challenge course, a professional development event with L3Harris, and a financial literacy symposium with Wealthwave. Members shared that they gained experience cheering each other on, sharing about their internship experiences, networking with recruiters, and learning about different types of investments. In March, the chapter will conduct a workshop at the NSBE National Convention in Anaheim, California. This summer, the chapter will join the college in hosting the NSBE National Leadership Conference, welcoming 250 NSBE student leaders to the CU �鶹ӰԺ campus. We encourage you to consider how you might get involved and further support NSBE’s important work.

A Commitment to Inclusivity
As a college, we are committed to creating inclusive and supportive environments both in the college and in society at large. This commitment will enable our college to more effectively value the extraordinary contributions Black and African American students, staff, faculty, and alumni contribute to our history, culture, and advancements in engineering. One example of this is a Black History Month workshop the Department of Computer Science graduate student association is hosting this Friday, facilitated by John Robinson-Miller IV, Associate Director for the Center for African & African American Studies. Another example is the Colorado 2022 Construction Diversity Summit that the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering is hosting in April. This inaugural conference is focused on building thriving, diverse teams in the construction industry.

Another example is the Inclusive Culture Council, which was launched last year with a mission to provide strategic leadership and transparency for cultivating an inclusive, equitable, interculturally competent, and supportive environment in the college. Bringing together staff and faculty from all departments, programs, and relevant units, the college is more collectively aware and engaged in enhancing inclusion and equity together. Departments, programs, and units continue to work toward operationalizing IDEA Plan Actions and will be able to incorporate Campus Culture Survey results locally.

Members of the Inclusive Culture Council and college staff will meet next month with the co-chairs and IDEA Council members to discuss the prioritization of 15 student-facing IDEA Plan recommendations. These IDEA Plan recommendations are critically important to our college for creating and sustaining a culture of equity, inclusion and academic excellence for our undergraduate student population. The outcomes of this discussion will determine what is feasible to carry out now; what the barriers and concerns are; timelines; and whether these specific recommendations need modification.

Continue the Exploration
As this month comes to a close, we invite you to take a moment to reflect on the importance of Black and African American contributions to society. University Libraries has collected a list of articles written by �鶹ӰԺ undergraduate and graduate students that relate to Black History. We encourage you to read one of these articles, participate in the campus Black History Month Racial Equity #BeTheChange Challenge or use these resources as a starting point for your own exploration throughout the year.

Keith Molenaar
Acting Dean

Terri Wright
Assistant Dean for Access, Inclusion and Student Programs

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Dean's Message: Nov. 24, 2021

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Dean's Message: Nov. 24, 2021 Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/24/2021 - 00:00

This month we are celebrating Native Americans and the Indigenous community in our college.

As noted by the National Congress of American Indians, this is a time “to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Heritage Month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.”

We would like to bring attention to some of the efforts on campus to foster continued learning and reflection this month and throughout the year.

The Division of Student Affairs created this comprehensive collection of resources that we encourage you to explore.
Featured in the collection is one of our BOLD Student Societies: the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. AISES is a national organization that nurtures the building of community by bridging science and technology with traditional Native values.
AISES hosted a Power Hour in the BOLD Center this month in which our community was led by social media and marketing manager, Evie Clarke, a member of the Muskogee Nation (Creek) along with president, Reign Pagaran, a member of the Tlingit Nation. Clarke and Pagaran engaged students in creating and sharing the significance behind a long-standing Native tradition of medicine pouches.
Mechanical engineering senior Annalise Hildebrand, a member of the Menominee Nation, shared her experience as an engineering student and leader in the AISES community. Annalise shared that AISES brings people together that may otherwise not have met and has been pivotal in “wanting to help people and change the world.”
This year, Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill that grants in-state tuition to Native American Students who are members of a tribe that is historically linked to Colorado. Students on campus are already benefiting from this important advancement in our state.
In October 2020, the CU Office of the President issued the first CU systemwide land recognition acknowledgement. The Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies (CNAIS) is working with CU �鶹ӰԺ’s Idea Council to establish a CU �鶹ӰԺ-specific statement. Chantal Baca, Senior Professional of the BOLD Student Success Center Tutoring Program and Navajo (Dinè) and Lakota descendant, wrote an article as Vice Chair for campus Staff Council about the land acknowledgment enabling healing from invisibility “to resurface Native American history, traditional storytelling, and ancestral knowledge of those most sacred to the land and bloodlines of Indigenous Peoples.”

As we approach the 157th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre on Nov. 29, we encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the contributions of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, Apache, Comanche, Kiowa, Lakota, Pueblo and Shoshone Nations, original and continued inhabitants and caretakers of the land we live and work upon in Colorado. For Native American communities it is a time of mourning and time to come together as a community for healing.

Let us seek “right relationships” with one another, and respect the value of Indigenous science, engineering, and traditional knowledge this month and every month.

Keith Molenaar
Acting Dean

Terri Wright
Assistant Dean for Access, Inclusion and Student Programs

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Dean's Message: Sept. 18, 2021

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 22:42:32 +0000

Dean's Message: Sept. 18, 2021 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/16/2021 - 16:42

This week began Latin and Hispanic Heritage Month, which is observed through Oct. 15. As highlighted by the Library of Congress, the purpose is to celebrate the “histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.” I encourage you to explore this collection of information, resources and readings created by University Libraries in recognition of this event.

Celebrating the many cultures and communities within the College of Engineering and Applied Science is one way that we practice our commitment to creating an inclusive and welcoming place for our students, faculty and staff. Another important way we do this is launching this month —the college’s inaugural Inclusive Culture Council, which Assistant Dean for Access, Inclusion and Student Programs Terri Wright announced last week. Thank you to the 23 faculty and staff from across the college who will be serving for the next two years.

The council’s mission is to provide strategic leadership and transparency for cultivating an inclusive, equitable, interculturally competent and supportive environment in the college. One important area of focus will be supporting the College IDEA Plan Actions, which many of you are engaged in right now. I’m grateful for the thoughtfulness and dedication members of our college community have given to this endeavor and the progress that has already been made toward these goals.

For more than 10 years, the BOLD Center has been at the heart of our commitment to creating a diverse environment where all engineering students are welcome. Following the renovation of the center last year, championed by alumnus Marco Campos (CivEngr’98) and his company, Campos EPC, the center will officially celebrate with a ribbon cutting event later this semester. The center has recently highlighted the stories of first-generation students such as Giovanni Hernandez and Damilola Akinneye and provides weekly “Power Hours,” such as this week’s lotería session, led by SHPE/MAES.

As you may be aware, the campus is engaged in a collective reading of American Like Me, by America Ferrera. Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Rhonda Hoenigman and Diane Sieber, director of the Herbst Program of Engineering, Ethics and Society, will be hosting a discussion group for the college starting in October. Look for an invitation to participate and consider creating time for this community reading and dialogue.

Each of us can contribute to CU �鶹ӰԺ’s efforts to become a more diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist university. Find what matters to you and make a difference.

Sincerely,
Keith Molenaar
Acting Dean

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Dean's Message: Sept. 11, 2021

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 16:16:21 +0000

Dean's Message: Sept. 11, 2021 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/16/2021 - 10:16

Fall semester is in full swing! I had the opportunity to speak with many of our students last week during “Donuts with the Dean.” They seemed truly grateful to return to their studies and be with their peers. As a campus and college, we can be proud of how well the community has responded to indoor masking and vaccination requirements. Because of these and other measures, we have been able to proceed with our academic mission and provide students with a robust college experience this fall.

Our scientists continue to monitor the course of the pandemic. I encourage you to watch the information-rich presentation from Roy Parker and Kristen Bjorkman of the BioFrontiers Institute, who provide a scientific update on the status of the delta variant.

Vaccinations have proven to be the most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect our community. The COVID-19-Ready Dashboard, updated daily, reports the rates of vaccinations and testing. The deadline to upload proof of vaccination is Sept. 15. There is help for those who still need to report and there will be accountability for those who do not meet the deadline, including a hold on spring registration for students. More details on this and related actions are included in the latest campus update.

As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 landscape together, please refer to the campus COVID-19 website for the latest information. If you know of students in need of financial support, the Student Emergency Fund is available again this fall to support students who may be experiencing hardship because of the pandemic.

Thank you for contributing to a safe and healthy experience for our entire community.

Keith Molenaar
Acting Dean

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