Home  |  About  |  Diversity  |  DEI Strategic Plan  |  Leadership & Accountability

Leadership & Accountability

Align and hold accountable leaders to a shared commitment to build a community where all individuals feel empowered to reach their fullest potential.

Leaders are defined as staff and faculty in the organization chart as well as committee chairs, managers, department leaders and student leaders.

Return to DEI Strategic Priority Areas

On This Page

Communicate & Amplify

Years 1–4

Develop communication processes and opportunities for leadership to engage with broader Thayer School of Engineering community to amplify our commitment to DEI and promote the objectives of DEI Strategic Plan, along with progress, gaps, and successes.

  • Outcomes
    • Thayer community is aware of ongoing DEI activities, goals, and metrics.
    • Faculty, staff, and students feel comfortable providing feedback, as it relates to DEI efforts, and believe feedback will be taken seriously.
    • Thayer community has increased opportunities to create and engage in DEI initiatives and programs.

  • Actions
    • Identify a confidential reporting mechanism for disclosing and addressing student, faculty, and staff culture and climate concerns (in addition to the formal mechanisms in place). Develop and communicate processes for reviewing and addressing concerns.
    • Document DEI Committee and working group structure, governance, roles, and responsibilities.
    • Conduct an initial survey with students, faculty, and staff about their communication preferences and needs. Develop a plan for how best to focus our efforts, including training for faculty and staff.
    • Develop a communication plan that addresses how to better integrate and embed Thayer’s commitment to and ongoing DEI on our public-facing channels, including the website and print publications. Develop a plan to assess effectiveness.
    • Develop metrics/key performance indicators for a DEI dashboard.
    • Offer financial support and resources for DEI-focused community-initiated workshops and training aligned with institution's strategic goals.

  • Metrics
    • Progress towards completion of action steps and key strategic DEI milestones.
    • Pulse surveys results designed to track and measure stakeholder engagement, inclusive leadership behavior, feedback, belonging, and other metrics.
    • Trends in identified data, including DEI dashboard.

Align Leaders to DEI​

​Years 1–4

Align leaders at all levels to articulate, champion, and model Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) throughout Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth.

  • Outcomes
    • Leaders have increased accountability for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and contributions in their area.
    • Thayer community has increased trust in leadership and belief that DEI is valued by school leaders.
    • Leaders actively participate in and support Thayer's DEI mission.

  • Actions
    • Ensure DEI Strategic Plan guides DEI Committee’s work through 2027. Utilize focus group sentiments and strategy lab experience to further inform leadership priorities and actions.
    • Partner with Dartmouth’s Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity to offer training opportunities aligned with Dartmouth-wide DEI strategic goals.
    • Embed DEI work in Thayer senior leadership meetings on an ongoing basis. ​​
    • Regularly collect feedback on DEI learning activities to inform future work.

  • Metrics
    • Number of completed DEI sessions across school.​
    • Leader participation rates in DEI sessions across school.
    • Assessment of changed behavior after 1 year.

Continuous Improvement

Years 2–4

Strengthen policies and processes, develop feedback and reporting mechanisms, and establish metrics to empower continuous improvement in our DEI efforts and practices.

  • Outcomes
    • Clear and inclusive feedback mechanisms are established and publicized.
    • Progress is tracked, measured, and communicated clearly. DEI progress is published prominently on Thayer’s website.
    • Thayer’s policies and procedures reflect community’s DEI values.

  • Actions
    • Analyze and assess barriers and points of resistance that may impede DEI strategy implementation. Define mitigation plan.
    • Review policies, procedures, and best practices for equity and accessibility on an ongoing basis to identify issues that require immediate attention and ensure proper support and financial resources.

  • Metrics
    • Student, faculty, and staff satisfaction rates as reflected in climate surveys, pulse checks, and/or engagement surveys.
    • Launch and consistency of DEI dashboard updates.
    • Feedback from documents submitted in relation to Thayer's DEI reporting mechanisms.

Integrate DEI into Culture

Year 4+

Embed and integrate DEI into Thayer culture, strategy, and everyday practice to enhance and support a culture of professionalism, self-improvement, and accountability.

  • Outcomes
    • Shared language, values and best practices.
    • Increased sense of belonging and community as well as an elevated trust in the accountability of the leadership.
    • Improved and equitable access to resources and information to support increased knowledge, awareness, and buy-in of DEI efforts.
    • A high standard of respect and equity for all members of our community in our policies and practices, regardless of position or title.

  • Actions
    • Finalize and formally adopt Thayer Professionalism Document.
    • Synthesize DEI annual reports and strategic plan into user-friendly and easily digestible format to showcase values, commitments, and completed and planned actions.
    • Integrate “DEI Toolkit” new student, staff, and faculty orientation. This may include slides on: DEI vision, definitions, purpose, messages/talking points, DEI strategic priorities, FAQs, and inclusive leadership tips.
    • Create expectation of senior leadership that DEI service is a required part of faculty and staff roles (eg. time, effort, and work in service of DEI: serve on committee or working group, serve as advisor, etc.)
    • Define Thayer inclusive leadership competencies and learning outcomes to build awareness and support skill development to equip faculty and staff in creating an equitable and inclusive environment system wide.

  • Metrics
    • Leadership engagement (i.e., staff and student perceptions/scores of leader's commitment to DEI and understanding of the value proposition).​
      • Build into review process for leadership
      • Survey data
    • Consolidated location of identified pathways to transparently address suggestions and concerns (a one stop shop).