West Virginia University is deeply committed to the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. In fact, President Gee shared a letter with the campus community Wednesday morning that outlined his commitment to eradicate racism through the power of higher education. We have an excellent leader in Meshea Poore, our vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. She, along with the entire University, will continue to create conversation around the issues with which our country is grappling. In addition, we lean on our Mountaineer Values – Service, Curiosity, Respect, Accountability and Appreciation – to guide us. We are confident that your student will find WVU and Morgantown to be a safe, welcoming and respectful community.

West Virginia University is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture by promoting diversity, inclusion, equality, and intercultural and intercommunity outreach. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, marital or family status, pregnancy, veteran status, service in the uniformed services (as defined by state and federal law), religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or gender expression in the administration of any of its educational programs, activities, or with respect to admission or employment. – Board of Governors Rule 1.6 

For more information about diversity at WVU, contact:

DIVISION OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION 
1085 Van Voorhis Road Suite 250 
P.O. Box 6202, Morgantown WV 26506-6202 
P: 304-293-5600 
diversity@mail.wvu.edu 

• Equity Assurance
• Policies and Procedures
• Title IX
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• The Civil Rights Act (Title VI, VII)
• Resources and Reporting Option
• Children on Campus

The Statler College Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

• Promote the goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion as identified by West Virginia University and in the Statler College.
• Identify challenges and strengths in promoting and achieving DEI goals.
  
• Make recommendations to the College Dean/Administrative units/Vice President’s office  regarding ways to achieve DEI goals.
• Facilitate communication and understanding among different constituencies in the College and at the University levels.
• Engage students, staff, and faculty to assess needs related to DEI/Propose strategies for assessing progress and removing barriers in DEI.

The WVU Faculty Ombudsperson Office

A confidential, independent, informal, and neutral resource for WVU faculty members.

Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate includes 131 Senators representing the Morgantown, Beckley, and Keyser campuses. They are responsible for guiding WVU’s academic pursuits, and for communicating faculty opinions and concerns.

Diversity @ WVU

The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion exists because WVU is always striving to create the safe, diverse, welcoming community we all deserve.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in Higher Education resources

The Statler College DEI Committee shares the collection of library resources to support the work of staff, faculty, instructors, administrators, and everyone at West Virginia University. This guide is a collection of contemporary library resources on social justice issues in higher education for all university individuals with WVU login credentials.

• National Society of Black Engineers 
• Society of Women Engineers 
• Alpha Omega Epsilon 
• Society of Hispanic and Professional Engineers

Several events, in conjunction with SWE/AOE, for females:

• AOE Junior Academy
• Girls’ STEM Day
• Murder Mystery Lunch
• Females in the Field Engineering Challenge Camp

Diversity Week

A celebration of the strength of our diverse campus community and uphold the diversity of beliefs, cultural experiences, and identities in our society. Held during the week of October 11-17, 2020. Faculty, staff, and students were encouraged to participate in virtual events that promote meaningful discussions to bring our College and University community closer together. Collectively, we have the power to help reshape our future. Listing of events can be found on the webpages of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at WVU.

Currently room 118 in the Advanced Engineering Research Building is a gender inclusive, family bathroom.

We are also creating two, single person, gender neutral bathrooms, and one lactation room as part of the Engineering Sciences Building west wing, ground floor renovation. The renovation will be complete in February 2020.

The non-denominational rooms are ESB 30B and AER 318

Black History Month Panel Discussion Honoring Katherine Johnson

On February 9, 2021, the Statler College Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and the WVU Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, hosted a Black History Month Panel Discussion, honoring NASA Pioneer Katherine Johnson.

Panelists included Meshea L. Poore, Esq. Vice President for DEI at WVU and Statler College alumnae, former NASA engineer and partner of Ventures Yonder Kerri Knotts.

• Poore, an attorney who served in the House of Delegates from 2009 – 2014, is also an experienced educator and mentor. She has mentored and consulted with hundreds of elected officials throughout the nation as they seek higher office. Poore has served as an adjunct professor at WV State University, as a faculty member in residence at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University and has teaching privileges at WVU College of Law.

• Knotts, an aerospace engineering graduate, spent two decades working at NASA’s Johnson Space Center where she focused on advancing Human Space Flight and served in engineering and senior leadership roles. She was a part of the Space Shuttle, International Space Station and Moon/Mars Exploration Programs. Knotts went on to start businesses in the oil and gas industry and has recently joined Barrios Technology, a small woman-owned business supporting NASA for 40 years.

Starting in 2020 with the Inaugural Statler College Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award, each year the Office of the Dean will recognize one current staff member, one faculty member, one student, and one student organization who demonstrates exemplary leadership that manifests the ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion into practical action.

Open to all members of the Statler College community, recipients of this award demonstrate their commitment across a range of possibilities: student- or staff-centered inclusion initiatives; efforts to support recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff and/or students; multicultural programming or related initiatives; community outreach activities; inclusion of diverse authors into course curriculums; or teaching and/or research that expands and embraces our understanding of inclusiveness. The awardees represent openness in thinking and embrace differences that promote equal opportunity in race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, thought processes, etc., as defined above. Nominees must also embody the Mountaineer Values of service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation.

“I am extremely proud of our faculty, staff and students for going above and beyond to help build a College community where everyone has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential,” Dean Pedro Mago said. “They are an example of what we can do, together, and as individuals, to create a more welcoming learning and living environment. This award establishes a standard for us all to live up to.”

Thriving Women Program

Applications are now being accepted for the exceptional Thriving Women Program. This program was privately funded by dedicated alumna Dianne Anderson and is intended to promote and advance women in their professional careers in Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University. 

Specifically, the Thriving Women Program is guided towards empowering female faculty and staff to: 

• further develop their values and personal goals to become more engaged citizens of West Virginia University and the Statler College with a global and inclusive perspective for societal and community impacts
• increase their potential and impact by contributing, instilling and/or implementing a narrative change and/or viable practices guided for creating the foundation for our University and College community to thrive.

Female faculty and staff in the Statler College are encouraged to consider submitting proposals for either: 

1. Individual transformation. Examples of proposals to be considered under this section include but are not limited to proposals aiming to advance the individual's career trajectory in the College by either enhancing professional development skills, supporting professional goals related to networking, creating a stronger presence in professional societies or research settings just to name a few. 

or 

1. Community transformation. Examples of proposals to be considered under this section include but are not limited to proposals aiming to create supportive community networks for College stakeholders, proposals that advance the College’s mission to serve as a safe and welcoming environment, or initiatives that allow for the creation and implementation of viable mentorship programs that advance both individuals as well as the Statler College community, just to name a few. 

Female faculty and staff at all career stages are welcome and encouraged to participate; thriving with impact is envisioned.  Regardless if a female faculty or staff member are emerging or already thriving in their professional development in the Statler College, we look forward to assisting on your journey and helping you reach your goals. 

This program offers seed grant support of maximum $2,000 grant for a one year duration; program is rolled out and administered under the Statler College Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategic Initiatives, and leadership of Cerasela Dinu, DEI coordinator for the College. The DEI office will award a minimum of three applicants. 

Interested applicants must fill out the submission form by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 9. 

All applicants must be a current WVU Statler College employee effective March 2021 until May 2022.

2021 Thriving Women Program Timeline  

• Announcement: Monday, March 22, 2021
• Application deadline: Friday, April 9, 2021, 11:59 p.m.
• Award notification: on or after Friday, April 16, 2021
• Project duration: 1 year; funding to start as early as Summer 2021. One page summary report due at six months from the starting date. The report must be at least 1,500 words;  images or videos are excluded from the wordcount but highly encouraged as supportive documentation. A second and final report must be submitted within one year from the starting date of the project; the report must be at least 3,000 words; images or videos are excluded from the wordcount but highly encouraged as supportive documentation.

2021 Application Requirements

Applications must include the following and be submitted online: 

• Name of the individual applying for the grant
• Academic unit of the applicant and specific role that the applicant has
• One paragraph describing the proposed idea and its foreseen impact (i.e., either for transforming yourself or the community (500 words)
• One paragraph of what the assessment process consists of and what metrics for success of the project will be considered (500 words)
• Brief budget description of up to $2,000 (funding cannot be used for salary of the applicant; 1500 words)
• Apply online at: https://form.jotform.com/wvustatler/thriving-women-program
• Applicants must be Statler College faculty and staff effective from March 2021 until May 2022.

Review Committee

Review committee includes but is not limited to:

• Dianne Anderson, Alumna, Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
• Cerasela Zoica Dinu, Professor, Associate Chair and DEI coordinator

Questions?

Email:  Statler-DEI@mail.wvu.edu