Conference: ADVANCE-BELONG (Buidling Equity, Leadership, and Opportunities for a New Generation) Summit

The Oakland University ADVANCE/ENG conference project will support a two-part summit of engineering leaders and educators from institutions of higher education to share and collaborate on best practices for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA). The Building Equity, Leadership, and Opportunities for a New Generation (BELONG) Summit will foster engagement around the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The summit will focus on engineering programs adapting to revisions that have been proposed to ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission Criteria around IDEA. Potential topics for the convening include: aligning engineering education with the updated ABET criteria; developing sustainable approaches for integrating IDEA efforts; fostering intersectional gender equity for faculty; leadership approaches for driving sustainable, intersectional change; and effective strategies for recruiting and retaining underrepresented students. The in-person conference is planned for 2025 and includes pre and post conference components to support communication, coordination, reflection, sharing, and planning next steps. Conference participants will come from across the US and include different institution types. Implementation of IDEA revisions proposed to accreditation criteria poses substantial challenges for institutions. Implementation is most impactful through collaborative discussions and strategic planning. The summit will seek to empower participants to navigate the complexities of gender, race, ethnicity, and various identity dimensions. It will include presentations and inclusive conversations on nuanced challenges and opportunities that emerge at these intersections. It aims to result in holistic, inclusive, and equitable strategies to help recognize and address stakeholders’ unique challenges in engineering education. An external evaluator will assess and report on program needs, process, and outcomes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.