Leveraging an EAST -WEST partnership to broaden participation of Faculty from Traditionally Marginalized Groups

In an effort to broaden participation in engineering tenure-track faculty, an engineering Institute at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) was established as a discipline-specific initiative, inspired by the NSF HER/HRD/AGEP program. The institute includes a network of five institutions. The focus in this program is on Underrepresented Minority (URM) graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career faculty en route to tenure. Development of the program was based on observational evidence of many engineering graduate students in AGEP (and other STEM-based programs dedicated to faculty diversity) disengaging from the pursuit of faculty careers in lieu of choosing non-academic careers, particularly in industry. Due to the pandemic, challenges arose including an insufficient number of opportunities in professional development, lack of engagement with professionals and peers, loss of job and internship opportunities, mental health decline and delays in their research ensuring a timely graduation [1]. As a response, two universities, one from the west (University of California Davis) and another from the east coast (UMBC) of the United States, leveraged the engineering institute model forming a unique and novel relationship in an effort to promote development for the graduate student population. This East-West coast collaboration worked to optimize the virtual environment forming on online networks, and the deliberate infusion of national and international connections where the leaders of conferences have committed to engaging the cohorts of scholars in activities. An example of this effort included partnering with American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) who facilitated their Delta Institute for new and future faculty, providing students with engagement, professional development, and networking opportunities. This case study will highlight and discuss the framework and formation of the partnership and success of the model with the graduate student population.