Commission Structure

To promote equity and inclusion throughout ASEE and to work toward the Strategic Plan goals, the Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is organized into Committees. CDEI also has several participation options. Read below for more information or see the Commission’s Bylaws (approved May 14, 2021).

Committees

Awards

Communication

Conference Planning

Policy/Letters

Professional Development

Strategic Planning & Assessment

Descriptions of the committees can be found at the bottom of this page.

Membership Types

STANDING MEMBERS

ASEE CDEI consists of 13 voting members and 3 non-voting ex-officio members called Standing Members. Standing Members are appointed by the President of the ASEE Board of Directors, with the advice of the ASEE Board, from candidates nominated by processes described for each type of member listed below. All Standing Members must maintain their ASEE membership.

a. ASEE CDEI Leadership Team

The ASEE CDEI is led by a three-person Leadership Team consisting of a Past Chair, Chair, and Incoming Chair. The Incoming Chair is appointed by the ASEE President for a three-year term. The first year of the appointment is as Incoming Chair, the second year is as Chair, and third year is as Past Chair. This appointment supersedes all prior appointment terms. CDEI’s Executive Committee will self-nominate or nominate active CDEI members for the position of Incoming Chair. If no candidates from these groups emerge, the Executive Committee may nominate candidates from ASEE members who are actively doing engineering education DEI work. The current Leadership Team will make a decision after Executive Committee discussion of the candidates (Executive Committee members with conflicts of interest will recuse themselves from any discussion of nominations), and the Past Chair will present the Incoming Chair nomination to the ASEE President for their approval. Terms of service begin and expire each year at the close of the ASEE Annual Conference.

b. Partnered Council Members

The ASEE CDEI contains a Standing Member from three (3) partnered councils: Corporate Member Council, Engineering Dean’s Council, and Engineering Technology Council. Each council shall have 1 council member representative who serves on the ASEE CDEI. The nomination(s) will be reviewed by the CDEI Leadership Team and presented to the ASEE President for appointment to serve a 3-year term. Council representative members can serve up to 2 consecutive terms. Each council is encouraged to nominate multiple candidates for consideration. If a CDEI council member is removed from said council, their CDEI position becomes vacant.

c. Founding Division Members

The ASEE CDEI includes three (3) Standing Members from the Divisions that contributed to the creation of the original ASEE CDEI organization. Those Divisions are the Minorities in Engineering Division, Pre-College Engineering Education Division, and Women in Engineering Division. Each of these three Divisions shall have 1 Division member representative who serves on the ASEE CDEI. The nomination(s) will be reviewed by the CDEI Leadership Team and presented to the ASEE President for appointment to serve a 3-year term. Founding Division representatives can serve up to 2 consecutive terms. Each Division is encouraged to nominate multiple candidates for consideration.

d. Members-at-Large

The ASEE CDEI contains three (3) Standing Members that can be filled by any ASEE member, herein called members-at-large. These members are nominated by any ASEE Member or self-nominated through a nomination request sent to all current CDEI members. Nominations are reviewed by the CDEI Leadership Team, and appointed by the ASEE President to a 3-year term.

e. External Engineering Diversity-Centric Organization

The ASEE CDEI contains one (1) Standing Member representing an engineering diversity-centric organization, such as, but not limited to: WEPAN, NAMEPA, Great Minds in STEM, NSBE, SHPE, SWE, NOGLSTP, or MentorNet. This individual will be appointed by the ASEE President and will serve a 3-year term. ASEE headquarters will work with the CDEI Leadership Team to nominate individuals strategically.

f. ASEE Vice-President for Member Affairs

The ASEE Vice-President for Member Affairs will serve as a non-voting ex-officio member and will provide two-way communication between CDEI and the ASEE Board of Directors. This person is ineligible to serve in a CDEI leadership position (see §a above) and maintains this CDEI position until said member is no longer the ASEE Vice-President for Member Affairs.

g. ASEE P-12 Commission Representative

The ASEE P-12 Commission may designate a member to serve as a non-voting ex-officio member who facilitates communication and partnership between CDEI and the P-12 Commission. This person is ineligible to serve in a CDEI leadership position (see §a above) and maintains this CDEI position for two years or until said member is no longer the designated liaison or no longer a member of the P-12 Commission.

h. ASEE Headquarters Staff Member

ASEE headquarters will select one (1) ASEE staff member to serve on CDEI as a non-voting ex-officio member. This individual is appointed by the ASEE President and is ineligible to serve in a CDEI leadership position (see §a above). This person serves as CDEI’s connection to ASEE’s headquarters. This person serves in this capacity until ASEE headquarters nominates a new individual to the ASEE President.

DELEGATES

Delegates are nominated by ASEE divisions and sections and appointed by the CDEI Leadership Team. All delegates must maintain their ASEE membership. Any ASEE Division or Section can nominate any of their members to be a Delegate. CDEI limits each ASEE Division and Section to one (1) Delegate.

All Delegates serve a two-year term with no limitations on serving consecutive terms. Terms of service begin and expire each year at the close of the ASEE Annual Conference.

FRIENDS OF THE COMMISSION

The role of Friends of the Commission is an informal affiliation with the Commission.  While Friends are frequently former Standing Members or Delegates, they can also be self-nominated through the Commission’s website. All Friends of the Commission should maintain their ASEE membership in order to receive formal communications from the Commission.
Committee Descriptions

Standing Committees

CDEI maintains the following seven Standing Committees to ensure its Goals and Objectives are reached.

  1. Executive Committee

The Executive Committee serves as the organization’s leadership body and ensures CDEI’s goals are being accomplished by requiring accountability from all other Committees. The Executive Committee is chaired by the CDEI Chair and consists of the CDEI‘s Leadership Team (Incoming Chair, Chair, and Past Chair), the Other Standing Members outlined in Article IV, and all Committee Chairs.

The Chair and/or Co-chair of this committee will submit a short paragraph to the Strategic Planning & Assessment chair by May 1st summarizing their committee’s activities, outcomes, and celebratory points of pride over the course of the year for inclusion in the annual report to the ASEE Board.

  1. Conference Planning Committee

The Conference Planning Committee oversees program activities for the ASEE Annual Conference and other conferences where the CDEI chooses to have a presence. This committee’s main initiatives are:

CDEI Pavilion: coordinate all content including displays, materials, video displays, co-hosts, giveaways, and schedules within the booth; and

Footsteps: coordinate the collection, development, and vetting of thought-provoking messages, as well as the printing of footsteps to be placed around the conferences; and

ASEE Mixer: Prepares materials and staffing for the conference mixer session.

The Conference Planning Committee consists of a Chair appointed by the CDEI chair and CDEI members who volunteer for the committee.

The Conference Planning Committee Chair serves as a de facto Program Chair for CDEI, having primary responsibility interfacing with the ASEE Annual Conference management system.

The Chair and/or Co-chair of this committee will submit a short paragraph to the Strategic Planning & Assessment chair by May 1st summarizing their committee’s activities, outcomes, and celebratory points of pride over the course of the year for inclusion in the annual report to the ASEE Board.

  1. Awards Committee

The Awards Committee manages the ASEE Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Paper competition and the ASEE Constituent Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award. The Awards Committee Chair will oversee the award selections to ensure that the ASEE Board-approved processes are followed.

CDEI members who volunteer for the Awards Committee will be responsible for reviewing the Best DEI Paper and ASEE Constituent DEI Award submissions. Committee members with a conflict of interest for a particular award will be recused.

The Awards Committee consists of a Chair appointed by the CDEI chair and CDEI members who volunteer for the committee.

The Chair and/or Co-chair of this committee will submit a short paragraph to the Strategic Planning & Assessment chair by May 1st summarizing their committee’s activities, outcomes, and celebratory points of pride over the course of the year for inclusion in the annual report to the ASEE Board.

  1. Communications Committee

The Communication Committee coordinates communication efforts for the CDEI. This includes the ASEE CDEI Blog and CDEI’s website. This committee coordinates messaging and seeks new content.

The Communication Committee consists of a Chair appointed by the CDEI chair and CDEI members who volunteer for the committee.

The Chair and/or Co-chair of this committee will submit a short paragraph to the Strategic Planning & Assessment chair by May 1st summarizing their committee’s activities, outcomes, and celebratory points of pride over the course of the year for inclusion in the annual report to the ASEE Board.

  1. Strategic Planning & Assessment Committee

The Strategic Planning & Assessment Committee helps maintain and track the progress of the ASEE CDEI Strategic Plan with the guidance of the CDEI Leadership Team and in coordination with appropriate committees. This committee shall request reports from all committees, review reports with respect to advancement of the strategic plan, and compile it into a single annual report, with support from the Leadership team by May 15th, before the June ASEE Board meeting. This effort will be in conjunction with the CDEI Leadership Team. The official CDEI report must be submitted via the ASEE Vice-President for Member Affairs by May 15th of each year such that it can be ready for the ASEE Board of Directors June meeting

The Strategic Planning & Assessment Committee consists of a Chair appointed by the CDEI chair and CDEI members who volunteer for the committee.

The Chair and/or Co-chair of this committee will submit a short paragraph to the Strategic Planning & Assessment chair by May 1st summarizing their committee’s activities, outcomes, and celebratory points of pride over the course of the year for inclusion in the annual report to the ASEE Board.

  1. Policy & Letters Committee

The Policy & Letters Committee drafts responses to key events for timely advocacy or to encourage diversity, inclusion, or equity policies. This committee will include a minimum of two people and at most five people such that it is nimble enough to rapidly respond to urgent requests for responses.

The Policy & Letters Committee consists of a Chair appointed by the CDEI chair and CDEI members who volunteer for the committee.

The Chair and/or Co-chair of this committee will submit a short paragraph to the Strategic Planning & Assessment chair by May 1st summarizing their committee’s activities, outcomes, and celebratory points of pride over the course of the year for inclusion in the annual report to the ASEE Board.

  1. Professional Development Committee

The Professional Development Committee is responsible for reviewing submissions and coordinating with presenters for the CDEI workshops held at the annual conference.  The PD Committee also supports CDEI and ASEE by organizing virtual workshops and communities of practice throughout the year.

The Professional Development Committee consists of a Chair appointed by the CDEI chair and CDEI members who volunteer for the committee.

The Chair and/or Co-chair of this committee will submit a short paragraph to the Strategic Planning & Assessment chair by May 1st summarizing their committee’s activities, outcomes, and celebratory points of pride over the course of the year for inclusion in the annual report to the ASEE Board.

Ad-Hoc Task Force

Other committees shall be appointed and dissolved by the CDEI Chair as deemed appropriate to the work thereof. The Ad Hoc Task Force will exist for one year unless extended by request of the CDEI Chair.