Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

Overview

As we continue remote delivery of classes and adjusting to the changing environments brought on by the progression of COVID-19, the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (FSE) at Arizona State University remains committed to cultivating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion through the implementation of programs and initiatives that support a collaborative and inclusive environment.

FSE Seed Funding Program

Fostering Diversity and Inclusion in a Digital Environment

The purpose of this seed funding program is to provide funding to encourage projects that further the 10 strategic objectives identified in the DEI Plan in the context of distributed, digital, remote and virtual environments, given the recent changes due to COVID-19. In this second round of seed funding, FSE solicits projects that are using creative solutions to foster diversity, equity and inclusion across faculty, staff, and students in the context of adapting to remote working and teaching. Projects that focus on connectivity, community building, resiliency, building relationships or mentoring are of interest. Investigators must explicitly address which objectives will be impacted by project activities and what the intended impact and outcome will be.

FSE DEI Strategic Objectives

1. Commit to balancing the diversity of students at all levels to reflect population statistics for female and underrepresented minority groups in Arizona
2. Improve student recruitment, persistence and success of target populations
3. Increase coordination with industry to increase career-readiness of targeted populations and connect committed employers with these populations
4. Foster a culture of inclusion among graduate and undergraduate students and provide an encouraging and supportive environment for all students, faculty, and staff
5. Ensure all undergraduate students acquire the knowledge, experience, and cultural competencies necessary to succeed in a multicultural, globally connected world and contribute to the Fulton culture of inclusion
6. Balance the diversity of faculty and staff hires, at all levels, with those who are
committed to thriving in a DEI environment
7. Provide training to students, faculty, and staff to improve DEI awareness
8. Establish metrics for faculty and staff evaluations that assess DEI contributions
9. Recognize and honor participation and accomplishments related to DEI
10. Establish procedures for periodic assessment of diversity and inclusivity and for adjustment of DEI initiatives

Eligibility

This program targets full-time tenure track, non-tenure track FSE faculty, and FSE staff. Project teams may include other participants, but the project lead must be from FSE. Priority will go to teams that have not yet received [email protected] seed funding; though all teams meeting the eligibility
requirements will be considered.

Anticipated number of awards and funding: Projects may have a maximum budget of $1500. Funds can be used to cover student worker hourly fees, materials, travel expenses, field research, publication costs, and other direct expenses justified by the proposed project. Salary or supplemental pay for faculty and staff is not allowable.

Proposal Requirements

Proposal submissions should not exceed 3 single-spaced pages (11pt Arial; 1” margins), including graphics. References do not count against the page count.

Proposals should be organized as follows:

    1. Project Narrative (max 3 pages)
      • Title
        • Short descriptive title that outlines project scope
      • Overview
        • Give a general overview of your proposed project and how it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion
        • Describe how the project will operate in a digital/virtual environment
      • Objectives
        • Provide a clear description of the proposed project
        • Indicate which strategic objective(s) will be addressed
        • Indicate how the project team will accomplish these objectives in the described working environment
      • Impact
        • If successful, what will the impact of this project be?
        • Identify how the FSE community benefits from this project.
        • Provide a timeline for the project, indicating key activities and desired outcomes
      • Assessment
        • Indicate how project success and impact will be assessed
        • Indicate the scale of your project’s outreach (i.e. how many people will be impacted?)
        • Can the outcomes of your project be repeated or adopted across FSE?
      • Team
        • Provide a brief overview of planned contributions from each team
          member
    2.  Budget (Does not count towards page limit)
      • Provide a project budget, using an NSF compliant format
      • Include all costs related to payroll expenses including employee related
        expenses, risk management insurance assessment, and technology fee
      • Include Administrative Service Charges (ASC)

      Supplemental Documents

    3. References (as needed, no page limit)
    4. DEI Motivation Statement (1 paragraph per PI; may be submitted as one document)
      • Provide a paragraph from each core project team member that outlines the
        personal motivation to undertake this project.

All documents must be submitted as PDF. Submit applications via InfoReady at
https://asu.infoready4.com/#manageCompetitionsDetail/1815794.

Other requirements

Applicants should plan for a start date within 30 days of award. Awards may be of any duration, but no longer than 12 months. The FSE Vice Dean of Strategic Advancement may request a progress update midway through the project period. Recipients will be required to participate in a showcase event (TBD) in Fall 2021 at which awardees will provide a summary of project activities, impact, and outcomes (poster, presentation, etc.)

Due Date and Review Process

Given the dynamic nature of the current environment, we anticipate reviewing and awarding eligible projects on a rolling basis. The first review panel will meet on June 15 and will continue reviewing proposals every two weeks until the allotted program budget has been awarded. Proposals will not be considered after December 31, 2020. A subset of members from the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative Task Force ([email protected]) will review project applications. Reviewers will be made up of faculty and staff representatives. As needed, external reviewers may be asked for comment. The [email protected] Task Force reserves the right to make recommendations that will be incorporated into the terms of the award.

Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria:
1) Effective alignment of project with strategic objectives and goals of the FSE DEI plan.
2) Likelihood of project to lead to increased DEI across FSE and on campus
3) Focuses on distributed, digital, remote and/or virtual environments
4) Volume of impact (projects with greater impact will be rated higher than those with
limited scope)
5) Produces outcomes that foster an ethos of inclusivity and diversity.
6) Likelihood of team to meet proposed timeline
7) Quality of the assessment plan
8) Availability of funds from the Deans office

Questions

Questions may be directed to Tara Morley at [email protected]