» Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Fowler Engineering takes representation seriously and seeks to lead campus-wide Diversity and Inclusion efforts.

Our School's mission is built upon the following principles:

We will build truly inclusive student, staff, and faculty environments and experiences.
In the recruitment and mentorship of students, staff and faculty, we will recognize, acknowledge, and act in response to the headwinds of racism and discrimination that prevent individuals from achieving their full potential.
We will work diligently to provide the financial support and intentional mentorship required to ensure that underrepresented groups are not perpetually underrepresented because of socio-economic factors.
We will recognize and celebrate the historical and contemporary innovators, luminaries, and leaders who have suffered under the headwinds of racism and discrimination.

Guided by those principles, our faculty work diligently to build respectful, accessible and inclusive environments that support learning and innovation for our entire student body. Our programs are designed to build global perspectives of how technology can transform lives for the better. Team-based approaches in an interdisciplinary setting produce engineers who are more sophisticated, compassionate and thoughtful. We prepare our students to produce audacious and innovative solutions in response to society’s grandest challenges, connecting to large scale issues and humble solutions.

Fowler is different - together we are stronger. We strive to ensure that all of our students have the support they need to confidently move forward and succeed. As we pursue and achieve that goal, our present and future will represent inclusivity and equitable change.

Tactics and Strategies

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A diversity, equity, and inclusion statement is a mandatory component of all faculty applications.
Initial screening and down-selection of faculty applicants is done via review of the DEI statements prior to review of full application files.
All search committee members discuss with the Dean the concept of “headwind” and how it can impact one’s career trajectory prior to review of any faculty application files.
All search committee members are asked to complete online Implicit Bias Training.
Faculty position descriptions and advertisements are written from the broadest possible framing to avoid inadvertent exclusion of potentially qualified candidates.
Impactful contributions to the teaching, service, and scholarship missions of Fowler Engineering are construed as broadly as possible to avoid reliance upon outdated definitions that are overly narrow, and therefore exclude valuable contributions from individuals who are traditionally underrepresented in computer science and engineering.
The value of broad, interdisciplinary teaching and research agendas is acknowledged by explicit statements in hiring documents, recruitment materials, advertising approaches, interview strategies, and promotion/tenure guidelines.
Phone/skype faculty interviewees are provided with a list of questions beforehand to reduce real and apparent power/knowledge asymmetries that can become amplified when in-person interactions are not possible.

A Dean’s DEI fund has been established to support a broad range of efforts developed and championed by staff, students, and faculty.
Fundraising activities place a high priority on the acquisition of scholarship funds for students from traditionally underrepresented groups or low socioeconomic communities.

Extensive outreach activities to local high schools and community-based organizations stress the affordability of Fowler Engineering by virtue of these scholarship funds, and the concept of “engineering for all”, which eschews the traditional “only high-achievers welcome here” approach to engineering recruitment.
Scholarship and student recruitment programs include budget lines to employ multiple near-peer student mentors who help incoming students navigate the transition to college.
Dedicated staff support for these programs ensures incoming students are provided an additional level of engagement when navigating course registration, housing issues, tuition payment/business office interactions, and academic advising.
Extensive outreach to local communities that involves students (e.g. STEMtors), dedicated staff (Adena Hamlin), and faculty leadership (Rene German).
A laptop assistance program provides a free MacBook Pro to students who cannot afford to upgrade their computing resources to match the minimum requirements established by Fowler Engineering.
The Dean’s office has established an endowment to support the episodic, unexpected needs of our students that might otherwise prevent them from continuing their academic career at Chapman.

Recruitment of a diverse range of leaders to our advisory boards and councils, who can help us further refine our programs for maximum impact.
Development of the Human-Centered Engineering concept that undergirds all of our programs: the most inspired solutions to the challenges that we face today can only be developed by the most diverse collection of problem solvers from the greatest breadth of backgrounds and experiences.
Development of curricula that explicitly speak to the challenges faced by individuals and communities from the broadest set of experiences: ENGR 101; Grand Challenges Initiative; Innovation out of Failure; Minorities in Computer Science; Introduction to Disability Studies: Peace Politics and Human-Centered Design and Engineering; etc.
Intentional design of new spaces to support students more broadly than what is found in traditional engineering buildings (e.g. multiple full kitchens, lactation/wellness room, and specialized ADA accessibility features in labs and makerspaces of Swenson Hall)

» Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Tactics and Strategies

Faculty Recruitment and Retention

Philanthropic Efforts

Student Recruitment and Retention

Overarching Efforts

Resources for Students

Students of Color

Students with Disabilities

LGBTQIA+ Students

Undocumented Students

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