UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
OFFICE OF THE DEAN

ROBERT H. LURIE ENGINEERING CENTER
1221 BEAL AVENUE
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48109-2102
734 647-7010 FAX 734 647-7009
http://www.engin.umich.edu

May 31, 2005

Dear Colleagues,

Diversity among students, staff, and faculty is a high priority for the University and the College. While there have been recent gains in the number of female faculty, the proportions of females among our undergraduate population and of underrepresented minorities among all of our populations have not increased in several years. While these trends are common throughout academia, we believe we can do better, but doing better cannot rely on new resources. We may find new resources if we organize ourselves around innovative and effective ideas, but our primary approach must be to coordinate our efforts for greater effectiveness and efficiency, and to enlist greater participation from the entire College community.

Consistent with recommendations of the College's Planning Committee for Improving Climate and Diversity (http://www.engin.umich.edu/admin/dean/reports/), we believe there will be opportunities for increased effectiveness and efficiency by organizationally combining the College's Multicultural Engineering Programs Office (MEPO), the Women in Engineering Office (WIE), and the CRLT/North Office within the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (ADAA), and by establishing a Diversity and Outreach Council to serve as the Executive Committee for the College's diversity and outreach projects. The Diversity and Outreach Council will include the directors of MEPO, WIE, and CRLT/North, and an equal number of faculty leaders from across the College. Organizational changes will be implemented immediately and the Diversity and Outreach Council will be in place by the beginning of the fall semester.

Please join us, whenever the opportunity arises, to ensure that our diversity and outreach projects are effective. Only through your contributions of time and effort will this new approach make a difference.

Sincerely,

Stephen W. Director
Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering


Ronald Gibala
Interim Dean Designate, College of Engineering
L.H. and F.E. Van Vlack Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering