Effective Practices in Equity and Inclusion for ChE Academic Departments

• Published in: Chemical engineering progress Vol. 119; no. 2; pp. 34 - 41
• Main Authors: Gray, Jeffrey J, Clancy, Paulette, Hernandez, Rigoberto, Akpa, Belinda S, Renner, Julie N, Robinson, Anne S, Young, Valerie L
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York American Institute of Chemical Engineers 01.02.2023
• Subjects: Bias; Chemical engineering; College students; Committees; Cultural change; Culture; Demographics; Departments; Diversity equity & inclusion; Empowerment; First generation students; Gender; Hispanic Americans; Leadership; Minority & ethnic groups; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Sexual harassment; United States > US; Michigan
• ISSN: 0360-7275; 1945-0710

Long-overdue attention to issues of diversity, equity-inclusion, and justice is changing approaches to education, chemical engineering practice, and the world in general. The field of chemical engineering is at a critical juncture to improve the inclusion of diverse communities of people within their practice. Chemical engineering has realized steady gains in their community's diversity, such that women comprise almost 38% on average of BS ChE graduates (with several departments reporting 50% women). Underrepresented minorities -- including Hispanic/Latino, Black or African American, and Native American or Pacific Islander- - comprise 14%. However, the diversity of US chemical engineering faculty still lags well behind, comprising just 19% women, 2.0% African Americans, and 5.0% Hispanic/Latinos. The demographics of the US are changing: 50% of the US population aged 18 and younger were non-white in 2020; this is expected to rise to 64% by 2060, while non-Hispanic whites will no longer be the majority of the US population by 2045 (3). Graduates must therefore be equipped to work in a diverse national (and global) environment.