"Open the doors wider, for everybody."

All members of the McKelvey School of Engineering community are valuable contributors to the culture and community at Washington University in St. Louis.

There has been increased dialogue around equity, diversity and inclusion; however, depending on lived experiences, words hold different meanings for different people. It’s not our intention to define these terms for others, but rather to create a shared understanding and common language.

What is equity, diversity and inclusion?

  • Equity promotes “justice, impartiality, and fairness within the procedure, processes, and distribution of resources by institutions or systems.” In McKelvey Engineering, our goal is to provide everyone the opportunity to achieve the same level of success regardless of background and privilege.
  • Diversity aims to create a community composed of different races, ethnicities, nationalities, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ages and socioeconomic classes. McKelvey Engineering is making efforts to ensure our community includes members of diverse backgrounds.
  • Inclusion will ensure that all are invited to contribute to the development and direction of McKelvey Engineering. A key element of inclusion is the perception of belonging, safety and membership for all.

We are developing new programs, policies and resources, but most importantly, we are listening. By working together, we can enact change.

Report a bias incident

Report incidents involving students to Mark Kamimura-Jiménez, PhD, at mkamimura@wustl.edu.
Report incidents involving faculty members or staff to Nicole Hudson at hudsonnc@wustl.edu.

University resources

No matter who you are, the McKelvey School of Engineering and WashU have resources available to help empower you in your studies and research.

Women in Innovation & Technology

Lan Yang to deliver keynote talk at WIT luncheon

Yang will present "Beyond Academia: My Path to Driving Innovation in Medical Imaging Technology" on Nov. 8 at the Women in Innovation & Technology Luncheon.

Register to attend

Supporting LGBTQ students

McKelvey Engineering celebrates Coming Out Day

The McKelvey School of Engineering celebrated National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 with sweet treats, photos at the Big Smile Photo Booth and words of encouragement. The event was hosted by the McKelvey Engineering EDI in collaboration with oSTEM.

Mentorship

Women & Engineering Center revamps its prestigious mentorship program

The expanded program aims to expand its reach by offering students a bigger variety of mentoring opportunities

Read the story

Why it's critical to act now

First, it’s the right thing to do.

Second, research has shown innovation, complex problem solving and creativity require a diversity of thought and ideas, which can best be cultivated by the presence of students, faculty and staff of all backgrounds.

If everyone on a team has the same lived experiences and way of thinking, then the approaches and solutions they’d develop would be similar. There is no shortage of talented individuals from different races, ethnicities, nationalities, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ages and socioeconomic classes. It’s unacceptable to waste this vast and diverse array of talent, and it’s our job as engineering leaders and educators to establish pipelines of access to leverage it.

Moreover, populations who are underrepresented in the engineering field currently make up the majority of kindergarten students in our nation. Without actively establishing pipelines of access and success for diverse cohorts of students through post-graduate education, we have little hope maintaining an innovative, economically competitive and secure future.

Our mission statement

Our school seeks to produce new knowledge that changes the world by promoting independent inquiry in engineering research and education with an emphasis on scientific excellence, innovation and collaboration. We affirm our responsibility to promote equity and diversity as well as to cultivate an inclusive environment. We acknowledge that our school’s mission may only be achieved by leveraging the diversity of our lived experiences and cultures.

Our vision

To cultivate an environment where Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is indispensable to the pursuit of excellence and distinction and that enables our faculty, staff, and students to achieve their full potential with intentional practices that respect the humanity of all.​

Meet the EDI committee

Share your feedback

The Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee is eager to hear from members of the McKelvey Engineering community. Students, faculty and staff are invited to share potential programming ideas, suggestions for future EDI initiatives or feedback about current programs. 

This form is NOT to be used to report bias incidents. To report incidents of bias, prejudice or discrimination involving students, complete the Student Conduct Incident Report form. For incidents involving faculty or staff, contact WashU HR, the university's Title IX coordinator and/or the Office of the Ombuds.

EDI feedback form