Theme3_StratPlan_2021

THEME THREE

Engineering for Everyone

Queen’s Engineering: Driving Curiosity Forward

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Engineering for Everyone Engineering teams solve complex problems, and complex problems require diverse and inclusive perspectives. Queen’s Engineering needs to shoulder not just the task of making the profession more diverse, but also the task of training engineers to make inclusive teams a reality.

There are many positive shifts happening already.

Queen’s undergraduates enjoy exceptional support services and Queen’s undergraduate student body is typically at least 30% women. Recruitment efforts to diversify the existing and future student body are being undertaken through initiatives such as the Aboriginal Access to Engineering (AAE) program, First Generation Pathways initiative, institutional and student outreach activities, and others. Nevertheless, more needs to be done, as a significant minority of students continue to feel like they are on the outside looking in. Queen’s needs to rethink what it means to be an engineer.

The goal is to create an inclusive environment where students from a wide range of backgrounds can thrive and feel like they belong to Queen’s Engineering community, building together foundations to what the future of engineering looks like.

Queen’s Engineering has recruited excellent students from Canada and around the world.

However, to move to the next level, the Faculty needs to become more competitive and attractive for curious students, both undergraduate and graduate, from diverse backgrounds who are ready to work hard to achieve excellence. Ultimately, students from diverse backgrounds should see themselves represented among faculty members and staff.

Ensuring that all our decisions are underpinned by fostering a diverse talent base amongst students, staff, and faculty.

OBJECTIVE 7.

Recruitment & diversity Attract and enable access for intellectually curious and motivated domestic and international students from all backgrounds.

SA 7.1

Increase access to engineering studies at Queen’s for historically under-represented communities by developing new bursaries and scholarships.

SA 7.2

Mobilize the voices of students from equity-seeking communities in outreach, communication and marketing campaigns and ensure Queen’s Engineering students’ inclusion in Queen’s Equity Ambassadors program.

SA 7.3

Modify existing admissions procedures to be able to identify and admit students not only on their secondary school grades but also on their commitment to hard work, their strength of character and their desire to make a social impact as an engineer.

SA 7.4

Develop academic pathways programs, prioritizing the creation of ones at high schools and colleges in non-traditional recruitment areas, remote locations as well as for international students who live both overseas and in Canada.

Queen’s Engineering: Driving Curiosity Forward

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OBJECTIVE 8.

Support & inclusion Provide all students with holistic support and intentional inclusion.

SA 8.1

Create a student support system for both academic and well-being that supports undergraduate and graduate students and particularly ensures that students from diverse backgrounds are set up for success.

SA 8.6

Actively promote the existing Equity, Diversity & Inclusion initiatives within the Queen’s Engineering community and provide financial support to these initiatives where required.

SA 8.2

Build off the success of the Aboriginal Access to Engineering program by using it as a template to develop programming to support other equity-seeking groups, such as Black engineering students.

SA 8.7

Initiate and support new social support initiatives for graduate students to build a strong sense of community among them.

SA 8.8

Develop a support and inclusion plan targeted to meet the needs of our international students.

SA 8.9

Building on Queen’s Engineering traditions as well as the expertise being developed in Corporate Relations, look for opportunities to introduce digital bars or badges rewarding leadership, extra-curricular, and entrepreneurial achievements.

SA 8.3

Make community inclusion more intentional by embracing and understanding different experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, and identities, and empower students of all backgrounds to develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills within and outside the classroom.

SA 8.4

Promote social opportunities to ensure students from under-represented groups feel a strong sense of belonging to Queen’s Engineering community.

SA 8.5

Develop a plan to fulfill the recommendations of the Principal’s Implementation Committee on Racism, Diversity, and Inclusivity (PICRDI) and Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) reports.

Queen’s Engineering: Driving Curiosity Forward

OBJECTIVE 9.

Leverage diversity and inclusion among faculty, staff, and senior administrators SA 9.1

Implement regular education and training sessions for all faculty, staff, and senior administration in equity, diversity, inclusion and indigenization.

SA 9.2

Incorporate equity, diversity and inclusion criteria into every phase of the hiring process, including job posting, the composition of hiring committees, interview questions and other measures of candidate excellence.

SA 9.3

Embed competency in equity, diversity, and inclusion as a requirement for all faculty, staff, and senior administrator positions.

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Queen’s Engineering: Driving Curiosity Forward

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Strategy Enablers To enable these strategic objectives and actions, certain measures need to be taken to provide support for students, faculty, and staff in their daily work. We will enhance Queen’s Engineering structures and processes that will foster opportunities for participatory leadership, transparent decision-making, and shared accountability.

The following enablers are presented as actions that ensure that our environment is inclusive and supportive and that our community is well informed, empowered and committed to making the strategic plan a success:

I.

Commit to making mental health the foundation of all that we do. Work to have resources in place to pro-actively support our community well-being, and to create an environment that is safe and conducive to learning and growth.

II.

Develop an internal communication plan, developed by faculty members and staff, committed to breaking the silos between the departments by creating spaces and commitments to sharing ideas across departments and unit. Foster a culture of service excellence and process improvement through recognition of contributions and deliberate diffusion of best practices across the Faculty.

III.

Offer regular educational sessions in equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenization (EDII), and embed competency in EDII as a requirement for all students, faculty, staff, and senior administrator positions.

IV.

In consultation with equity-seeking groups, develop appropriate ways to collect, analyze and report on data and metrics of EDII initiatives to effectively monitor progress of initiatives. Ensure that any improvements in these metrics are celebrated and the work of staff and faculty to make these shifts are recognized.