BE EDI COMMITTEE
Jeff Hasty, Ph.D.
Professor of BioengineeringBE EDI ChairFrancisco Contijoch, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of BioengineeringBE EDI Council MemberIrene Hom
Chief Administrative Officer | MSOBE EDI Council MemberCarol King
Web Content AdministratorDepartment & Programs AssistantBE EDI Council MemberThis year, the EDI Council continued to partner with allies across the University with a special focus on increasing equity, diversity and inclusion at the graduate level. In particular, the Council designed strategies around holistic admission review with the goal of minimizing obstacles and barriers that can lead to bias. Holistic review considers a variety of factors to evaluate a candidate that focuses on qualitative information to ascertain the potential for success in a rigorous academic environment (UC San Diego/Office of Graduate Studies, 2022). Specific attention was given to ascertain the competitiveness of applicants in an absence of GRE requirements which have not been required for the last two years. The Council was dedicated to ensuring that students’ potential to succeed at the graduate level was evaluated on skills and merit not necessarily evident in academic grades.
Bioengineering at UC San Diego is interested in “learning predictive measures of a student’s merit and likelihood to succeed in the program” (Kent, McCarthy, 2016) just as other leading institutions. It is committed to the diversity aims of the NIH that include increasing underrepresented students, women, and individuals with disabilities or disadvantaged backgrounds, and access to higher education.
Outcomes from the 2022 admission review resulted in a higher admission rate from 31% to 34% for underrepresented students even though the admission pool saw a decrease of 18 applications. The accept rate also resulted in an increase of 35% to 37%. Lessons learned from this last review continue to focus on increasing a diverse pool of applicants. For the coming year, the Department will refocus on increasing active recruitment at major meetings to attract underrepresented students, disabled and/or underserved with the aim of increasing the applicant pool. In addition, another goal for the year, the Diversity Council proposes to track outcomes of the entering cohort against peers, to identify any barriers and risks associated with retention and how best to support students.