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Diversity and Engagement

Diversity, equity, and inclusion serve a vital role in our educational, research, and service activities. In the Office of Diversity and Engagement, we ground our approach to diversity through academic research and scholarship and deep institutional data. Our goal is to create and sustain an affirming academic climate and culture that values the whole individual. Through this framework, we are able to grapple with the historical context of an institution built by enslaved laborers, and a founder who bought, owned, and sold human beings, but also wrote that “all men are created equal” in the United States Declaration of Independence. Through our work, we are able to meet the 21st century demands for a larger and more heterogeneous workforce skilled in engineering and applied science, while also addressing well-known challenges for certain groups to succeed in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

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Who We Are 

The Office of Diversity and Engagement, comprised of students, staff, and faculty, works closely with internal and external stakeholders—such as the Office of Undergraduate Programs, the Multicultural Student Center, the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Office of the Dean of Students, Counseling and Psychological Services, and the Center for Teaching Excellence—to put these values in action. Each department in UVA Engineering has a Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and we also offer training and consultations for faculty and staff.

What We Do

Most importantly, we provide students with:
• resources for personal and professional development
• resources for financial assistance
• academic advising and tutoring
• a summer Bridge program for entering first-years
• a variety of support services through the Center for Diversity in Engineering (CDE), a space designed to promote success in all of our students. 

All of our programs are assessed to ensure both efficacy and efficiency.

Facts about UVA Engineering 

• Recognized by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) for its diversity efforts.
• Top graduation rate for African-American, Asian, Hispanic students and multi-racial engineering students among engineering schools surveyed by ASEE.  
• 33 percent of undergraduate students were women in 2018-2019, compared to the national average of 21 percent reported by the National Center for Education Statistics.
• Our student organizations have won awards from Questbridge and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). 
• ​One of 10 engineering schools participating in the Clark Scholars Program established by the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation to provide academic and financial opportunities for outstanding students from diverse backgrounds.