No One Left Behind

By Joshua Nelson

A College of Engineering Discussion on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Dean Rhee at No One Left Behind

This April, out in the Vivian Engineering Center Quad, students, faculty and staff had an open conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion at the College of Engineering, celebrating everyone's differences and hearing suggestions to help each other achieve the goal of making CSULB a better campus.  

"We had a large number of student participants and received valuable feedback from the student for future events," said DeeDee Green, College of Engineering administrative services manager and chair of the Dean's Commission on Equity, Inclusion and Racial Justice.  "We also had a good number of faculty and staff support.  I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of the Commission."

Everyone gathered for cookies, a meet and greet and an honest dialogue. We had a bulletin board up for to students to share their thoughts and here are some of the things that were mentioned:

  1.  Awesome event! More DEI events, please, at least one per semester.
  2.  We come from many backgrounds. We need to honor our differences.
  3. We need more different representatives from different cultures doing outreach.
  4. Inequality is prominent, everyone is deserving of support.
Attendees at No One Left Behind

After receiving feedback from students, faculty and staff the commission was created in 2020 to find creative ways to promote racial, ethnic and gender diversity in the field. By providing a sense of community and providing role models with shared experiences, the College of Engineering hopes to remove barriers to entry in one of the highest paying career fields in the United States. 

“I am grateful to DeeDee Green for her work in leading the Dean's Commission on Equity, Diversity, and Racial Justice, and to all the faculty, staff, and students who serve on the commission,” said Dean Rhee. “No One Left Behind is a great example of the impactful work that the commission will continue to do for the college.”

After the success of No One Left Behind, the commission is already planning its next event.