The Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation was founded on the idea that design is for everyone. While our home is in the College of Engineering, Jacobs is a multidisciplinary space, open to all regardless of their background, department affiliation, or experience level. We believe that everyone who walks through our doors adds to the unique conversation about the possibility of design and technology, helping enrich the future of both and that pivotal design can only stem from a collaboration of diverse voices and perspectives.
As an Institute that is part of a larger campus community dedicated to bringing together some of the most forward-thinking minds in academia, it is of the utmost importance that all who participate in our space feel not just included and safe, but know their ideas and voices will be upheld and supported by the Jacobs Community. Our staff and faculty are dedicated to upholding these principles and know it is their personal responsibility, as well as the Institute’s, to continuously educate themselves on racism, anti-blackness, gender inequality, ableism, and other forms of discrimination, and to work towards creating a space where all feel validated and welcome. We also acknowledge our responsibility for fostering an educational environment and culture that holds our students accountable to these same standards, and are continuing to open up opportunities for students and club leaders to share feedback on the ways Jacobs can continue to foster positive group participation.
We recognize this as an ongoing process—one that requires frequent and critical dialogue on the many ways we can improve diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the Jacobs Institute’s community and operations.
INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would also like to recognize, in solidarity with the messaging from campus, co-authored with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and Native American Student Development, that the Jacobs Institute sits on the territory of xučyun (Huichin), the ancestral and unceded land of the Chocenyo speaking Ohlone people.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION (DEI) COMMITTEE
The Jacobs Institute DEI committee was formally established in the Fall of 2019 and meets monthly during the academic year. Its current membership is composed of Professor Bjoern Hartmann (Jacobs Faculty Director and faculty in Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences), Professor Kosa Goucher-Lambert (Mechanical Engineering), Professor Hannah Stuart (Mechanical Engineering), and Amy Dinh (Jacobs staff and lecturer). The committee’s charge is to monitor and improve diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Institute’s community, programs, and operations, in collaboration with our community of students, staff, and faculty. The Committee can be contacted for any thoughts or concerns through our anonymous feedback form.
PROGRAMS AND POLICY UPDATES
ONGOING GOALS
JACOBS NEWS AND EVENTS
READING LIBRARY
Here is an ongoing list of articles, books, and podcasts centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion in design.
If you would like to provide feedback about the ways we can continue to make Jacobs an inclusive environment, or if you’d like to share a personal experience, please use this form. All submitted comments are reviewed by the Jacobs DEI Committee. The form is anonymous except if someone chooses to leave their contact information.