2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This WIP research explores the impact that student leaders in the college of engineering have on community engagement efforts, particularly through disruptions in higher education. We focus on the student leaders involved in the college’s community engagement advisory council, which began in 2021. Since its inception, the council directly works with staff and faculty in the college’s community engagement office to execute events and initiatives to bolster inclusion and belonging efforts. Literature has shown that student-based advisory groups across disciplines can lead to a greater sense of community and belonging amongst the student body [1], [2], [3].

This paper will also discuss the evolution of the student council-led initiatives, emphasizing the lessons learned and broader impact they have had on the engineering student body. These initiatives have ranged from community-building discussions, policy-oriented programming, to college-wide multiday events. These initiatives have contributed to fostering a more inclusive and empowering academic environment. We believe that direct communication between institutional decision-makers in the community engagement office and student leaders has meaningfully advanced inclusion and belonging in the college of engineering. However, precipitous changes in policy and attitudes towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) over the past year has strongly impacted such student leaders across the nation [4].

Our study will investigate how student leaders within the council have adapted their plans, strategies, messaging, and initiatives in response to recent cultural and policy shifts. Additionally, we aim to understand the personal impact these shifts have had on the members. By conducting surveys of current and former council members, we aim to understand how their perspectives have evolved over the last year, and formulate improved strategies for incorporating student voices in institutional initiatives under changing landscapes and sentiments.

Ultimately, this research contributes to ongoing understanding about shared equity leadership and the importance of student advocacy in shaping inclusive academic spaces, while also offering insights into how student organizations respond to external pressures and policy changes.

[1] E. M. Holcombe, A. J. Kezar, N. Ueda, and D. Vigil, “Shared equity leadership: Working collectively to change campus cultures,” J. Divers. High. Educ., vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 594–607, 2025, doi: 10.1037/dhe0000536.
[2] S. R. Phillips et al., “Creating a student-led PhD in nursing diversity, equity, and inclusion advisory council,” J. Prof. Nurs., vol. 57, pp. 60–67, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2025.01.005.
[3] J. M. Sloughter, B. I. Wynalda, and A. Miguel, “DEI Student Ambassadors Program,” presented at the 2022 CoNECD (Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity), Feb. 2022. Accessed: Oct. 15, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://peer.asee.org/dei-student-ambassadors-program
[4] C. C. Beatty, J. Allen, L. White, W. Baptist, and D. Woodard, “‘It’s Still There, but It’s Not the Same’: Black Student Leadership in the Wake of Anti-DEI State Policy,” Educ. Sci., vol. 15, no. 7, p. 890, July 2025, doi: 10.3390/educsci15070890.