Inclusion | Diversity | Excellence | Achievement
The IDEA Engineering Student Center is a unit of the Jacobs School of Engineering. Learn more about the Jacobs School's mission and commitment to diversity.
Mission
Promote equity, community, and success for all engineering students at UC San Diego from admission through graduation.
Vision
Every engineering student thrives personally, academically, and professionally.
Strategic Goals
Student Success
Promote sustained student involvement with campus and Jacobs School resources and opportunities to support students’ retention, graduation, development, and satisfaction with their engineering experience through the following areas: Academic Excellence/Support, Career Exploration/Professional Development, Community Building, Mentorship, and Wellness. The IDEA Center collaborates with campus partners to increase student participation in opportunities that promote their success.
Academic Excellence/Support
Promote academic success by increasing students’ awareness of, access to, and participation in academic support programs and resources related to fundamental knowledge and skills, coursework, and techniques for becoming a more effective engineering student to help them achieve their personal academic goals.
Career Exploration/Professional Development
Encourage students to explore and understand the spectrum of engineering career options to develop informed career aspirations. Promote engagement in concrete activities that further their professional development towards their goals (e.g., resumes, applying to research/internships, student organizations/project teams, graduate school).
Community Building
Create opportunities for students to establish and grow a network of peers, faculty, and staff that will support their continued academic, professional, and personal success. Promote student engagement with multiple communities to help students find the opportunities that give them a sense of belonging where they feel safe and comfortable with others, such as identity-based groups, engineering departments, research labs, student organizations/project teams, etc.
Mentorship
Connect students with peer, faculty, graduate student, postdoctoral, industry, and staff mentors who are prepared to provide academic, professional, and personal guidance. Mentorship is essential to successfully making transitions to and succeeding at UC San Diego as well as in future educational opportunities and professional milestones.
Wellness
Foster a culture that has a nuanced understanding of student wellness and balances self-care with academic pursuits through self-awareness and participation in opportunities that support stress management and overall mental health.
Inclusive Community
Provide access to opportunities for students to build a sense of belonging among engineering student peers, within their department and the Jacobs School, and in the engineering field. All IDEA Center programs are designed with equity and inclusion in mind to encourage participation of students from all backgrounds and ensure that students feel supported to be their whole selves within the Jacobs community. Provide multiple entry points into IDEA Center, campus, and Jacobs School programming and resources.
Collaborative Partnerships
Collaborate with key partners to provide a network of support for engineering students through the development of and access to effective programming and unique services for engineering students.
Inclusive Academic Climate
Engage faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students in perpetuating a culture that is student-centered and inclusive in all aspects of academic interactions, including within classrooms, research labs, and mentorship.
Branding/Marketing
Raise the profile of the IDEA Center among students, across the University, and with external partners and colleagues as a comprehensive engineering student success center with a track record in effectively supporting equity, community and student success.
The IDEA Center's Robust History
Fall 2020 marked the 10th year of the IDEA Engineering Student Center, one of the cornerstones of student life at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. Read more about the unique history of the IDEA Center.
