Project Inclusion at WPI is a three-year initiative to help the university set standards and expectations for a campus environment that is accepting and welcoming to all. Under its guidelines, WPI establishes the definitions and sets goals around diversity, inclusion, and equity. 

Conversation with the President - Summer 2018

Project Inclusion: A Conversation With The President

What Is Project Inclusion?

Launched in the spring of 2017, Project Inclusion uses input from the entire community to establish guidelines and adopt policies to help WPI assess the current campus environment. Facilitators assist in the process and help guide community ideas and proposals into strategies and actions that will be successful on the WPI campus. Read the bios of the facilitators WPI is working with here.

With the guidance of facilitators, Project Inclusion begins that assessment in a structured way using the following dimensions:

  1. Philosophy and Mission
  2. Faculty Support and Involvement 
  3. Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Research
  4. Staff Engagement and Involvement 
  5. Student Support and Involvement 
  6. Administrative Leadership and Institutional Support

Read more about Project Inclusion’s Process (PDF) and Project Inclusion’s Purpose and Expectations (PDF).

President Laurie Leshin and Vice President Michelle Jones-Johnson talk about Project Inclusion

Project Inclusion is high on WPI's priority list and it's important to know why. President Laurie Leshin and Michelle Jones-Johnson, WPI’s Vice President for Talent and Inclusion, discuss the initiative and the role it will be playing throughout the institution. The WPI Journal published an article about the conversation in the Summer 2018 edition of the print publication.

Read about it here.

An In-Depth Look at Project Inclusion

The Daily Herd recently caught up with Peter Hansen, humanities & arts professor, director of the International & Global Studies program, and co-chair of Project Inclusion’s Rubric Steering Committee (RSC), to take a deeper look at Peter's involvement within the Rubric Steering Committee and the Project Inclusion initiative as a whole. Read more about it here. 

Keeping the Conversation Going

Michelle Jones-Johnson, vice president for talent development and chief diversity officer, believes community discussions and efforts keep the conversation around diversity and inclusion open and continuing. Employees don't just work at WPI, they help create and sustain an environment where community members feel like they are making a difference. Read more about how Project Inclusion helps that process

Read More about Keeping the Conversation Going

Community Input, Lasting Results

The launch of the Project Inclusion initiative in spring of 2017 welcomed input from the community and explained how weaving diversity and inclusion into the fabric of WPI would bring lasting results. One of the first steps was forming the Project Inclusion Steering Committee which gathers information from the community to ensure the most appropriate and efficient strategies are put into place.  

Read More about Community Input, Lasting Results

Engaging and Intentional Programming

Project Inclusion hosts a series of engaging and intentional programming that ties back to the initiative's mission of administering diversity, equity, and inclusion into the bloodstream of the university and campus culture; and not only that, many of the events serve to keep the WPI community apprised of the initiative's mission, goals, and next steps. Programming takes the form of cookouts, community listening circles, speaker series, and much more. All project inclusion programming is advertised via email, WPI Today, the WPI University calendar, and various WPI listserves. Make sure to keep a look out! 

When Is the Next Event?
Project Inclusion Executive Summary (PDF)
Project Inclusion Readiness Assessment (PDF)
Project Inclusion PowerPoint (PDF)

Rubric Steering Committee Members 2018 - 2019

Member List on hold until RSC Members are confirmed. 

 

Rubric Steering Committee Members 2017 - 2018

Chair: Michelle Jones-Johnson, VP for Talent Development and Chief Diversity Officer
Co-Chair: Peter Hansen, Professor, Humanities and Arts; Director, International and Global Studies
WPI PI Institutional Liaison: Bonnie Walker, Executive Director, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

Staff

Diane Begreen, Operations Manager, Library Services 

Alison Donta-Venman, Director, Institutional Research

Michael Jacobs, Sergeant, Campus Police

Rachel LeBlanc, Assistant Vice President, CPE

Andrew Palumbo, Dean, Admissions and Financial Aid

Paula Quinn, Associate Director, Center for Project-Based Learning

Yvette Rutledge, Customer Service Coordinator, Facilities 

Charlana Simmons, Director, Multicultural Affairs

Kristopher Sullivan, Assistant Vice President, Academic Affairs

Tom Thomsen, Director, International Students and Scholars Office

Casey Wall, Director, Residential Services

Faculty

Corey Dehner, Associate Teaching Professor, Interdisciplinary & Global Studies; Director, Worcester Community Project Center: Community Empowerment and Environmental Responsibility; Co-director; Massachusetts Water Resource Outreach Center

Chrys Demetry, Director, Morgan Teaching & Learning Center; Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering Program

Adrienne Hall-Phillips, Associate Professor, Foisie Business School

Stephen Kmiotek, Professor of Practice, Chemical Engineering

Susan Celia Roberts, Department Head and Professor, Chemical Engineering

Wole Soboyejo, Dean, Engineering

Lisa Stoddard, Assistant Teaching Professor, Environmental & Sustainability Studies

Suzanne Weekes, Professor, Mathematics

Kris Wobbe, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies

Students

Carlie Alfaro ’18, Founder and President, Student Advocacy Group

Thomas Mackintosh ’19, Student Staff Member, Residential Services

Kazim Shaikh ’18, President, Muslim Student Association