SDSU Engineering achieves ASEE Diversity Silver 2024-26 for DEI effort

The San Diego State University College of Engineering was promoted to Silver level status in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)’s Diversity Recognition Program.

An upgrade from the Bronze level status awarded in 2019, the recognition for 2024-26 honors transformative initiatives that strengthen and sustain an inclusive climate for the college’s faculty, staff, and students in a field historically dominated by males. 

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Theresa M. Garcia cited three principal areas of achievement reflected in the ASEE’s higher recognition: “The inclusivity and passion of the college DEI council members,” which is made up of faculty, staff, lecturers, graduate and undergraduate students;  the support of college and campus leadership, including Dean Eugene Olevsky, who “supports and values the work of the council;” and “council leadership both present and past.”

In the past five years, the college has more than doubled its percentage of women faculty members.

In addition, it has dramatically expanded its MESA (Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement) programs that work to support diverse undergraduates pursuing STEM degrees and to create pathways to success.

MESA achieved this by implementing initiatives such as its Shadow Day Program with 185 diverse students shadowing STEM professionals at various San Diego County STEM companies, virtual alumni chats with people of diverse backgrounds, transfer initiatives supporting community college students, and the MESA Summer Undergraduate Research Academy open to students from SDSU, San Diego City College and Southwestern College. 

Additionally, in 2019, the College created the Daisy Galeana and Theresa M. Garcia MESA Collaborative Annex to support student success.

In the 2022-23 academic year, the engineering outreach unit sponsored over 100 events including conferences, student and teacher workshops, and College of Engineering tours, all geared toward uplifting K-12 students from diverse school districts. 

In additional areas of achievement:

• In 2019, the Women in Engineering organization was established to provide resources to women engineering students such as networking and mentorship opportunities, a support system, coffee chats, seminars concerning imposter syndrome and women in leadership roles. For example, in April, 2023, the Femineer Internship Program hosted a Femineer Summit for 208 students from 13 different schools across California.
• The number of college DEI endowments have more than doubled, accounting for over $2 million in funds that directly support DEI initiatives.
• In 2023, the College established the “Staff Love” program which encourages members of the community to write notes of appreciation to staff. 

The SDSU engineering community is committed to continue to enrich its programs. 

“Through my decade-long outreach work with our underserved student communities, I have observed that strong role models are extremely impactful in instilling self-belief and efficacy,” said Mahasweta Sarkar, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and senior associate dean of SDSU Global Campus.

“When a young student sees a person of their color, gender, ethnicity, race in a position of power and accomplishment, it instills in them the faith that ‘if they can, I can too.’”

The college plans to continue developing goals by regularly reevaluating and updating its diversity plan and monitoring progress based on student, faculty, and staff demographics. 

Results of the SDSU Diversity and Inclusion Council’s periodic climate surveys, which measure the campus community’s feelings on how their presence, expertise, contributions, and perspectives are valued, are an additional tool.

“We hope that our Diversity Planning efforts will make the College of Engineering a safe, welcoming, accessible, inclusive, and equitable space for all current and prospective future students, faculty, and staff,” said Matthew Verbyla, associate professor of environmental engineering.

More than 20 faculty, staff members and students have served on the college’s DEI committee during the period evaluated by ASEE.

Listed below are the committee members that have served in recent years:

• Mahasweta Sarkar (DEI Chair through Fall ‘22), Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Matthew Verbyla (DEI Chair, starting in Spring ‘23), Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering

• Thais Alves, Professor and AGC - Paul S. Roel Chair in Construction Engineering and Management

• Ollin Balderas Medina, Administrative Support Coordinator

• Joaquin Camacho, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

• Margherita Capriotti, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering

• Maricruz Carrillo, Former Doctoral student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

• Oscar Correa, Master of Science student in Mechanical Engineering

• Christy Dykstra, Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering

• Natasha Forbes-Celise, Director of the MESA Engineering Program

• Theresa M. Garcia, Assistant Dean of Engineering for Student Affairs

• Jana Gonzalez, Undergraduate student of Electrical Engineering

• Tito Hernandez (‘23), Alumnus of Computer Engineering and former President of the College of Engineering Student Council (CESC) 

• Gustaaf Jacobs, Professor of Aerospace Engineering

• Parisa Kaveh, Lecturer of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Karen May-Newman, Professor of Mechanical Engineering

• Jarred Sampayan, Doctoral student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

• Sridhar Seshagiri, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Brandon Wells, Undergraduate student of Mechanical Engineering and President of the Student Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)

• Junfei Xie, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Wenwu Xu, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering