The UF/IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences (DSWES) supports the University of Florida’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. By fostering a sense of belonging for students, staff, and faculty while leveraging the uniqueness of the people who study and work at the university, we believe our campus community is enriched and enhanced by diversity, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexuality, class, and religion.

The scope of the DEI Committee, in general, is to identify areas of concern and create solutions for these issues. Specifically, the committee's goals are to:

1. Establish the current state of DEI within DSWES by conducting an annual climate survey and using results to guide efforts to improve on the current state.
2. Increase options and visibility of communication strategies for students, staff, and faculty to freely and openly discuss DEI issues. This will be accomplished through the creation of a departmental DEI ombudsperson and the development of an anonymous reporting mechanism.
3. Enhance awareness of DEI issues and expand the DEI toolbox for DSWES faculty, staff, and students. DSWES will host seminars focused on DEI issues at least two times a year and create DEI resource pages that collate DEI-related materials.
4. Increase the diversity of undergraduate and graduate students in DSWES by 2026.
5. Increase the diversity of faculty and staff in DSWES by improving the search and screen (S&S) process.
6. Increase accessibility and inclusivity in our physical spaces and communications by assessing the availability of the following: 1) Gender inclusive restroom facilities; 2) Rooms for nursing mothers; 3) implementing closed captioning on all department supported videos; and 4) incorporating alternative-text options into all website designs.

In addition to these specific goals, DSWES plans to be adaptive in the nature of DEI issues within the department.