9/15/2021 The Grainger College of Engineering 3 min read
The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recently announced the appointment of Illinois ECE Professor Lynford Goddard as its Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Written by The Grainger College of Engineering
The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recently announced the appointment of Illinois ECE Professor Lynford L Goddard as its Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). He began this position effective August 16, 2021.
Professor Goddard joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2007. He has had much success in his scholarly and research impact and earned full professor status in 2017. He has served as the director of the IDEA Institute since November 2019 and will continue leading this effort to broaden the impact to be a leading program on engineering diversity in the country. In addition to being hired as the new Associate Dean for DEI, he has also been named as the new Edward C. Jordan Professor with the ECE department in recognition of his excellence in research, teaching, and service.
In addition to his strong research record, Lynford has demonstrated a strong commitment to service in the department and college. He has a solid vision for the direction of this new office and how it aligns with the broader college and campus-wide initiatives for increased diversity, equity and inclusion. He demonstrated a willingness and desire to be open and transparent, to research and promote broad interactions with college administration, heads, directors, faculty, staff, and students. Dean Rashid Bashir is confident in Prof. Goddard's ability to assume this position and have an immediate and positive impact.
As Associate Dean for DEI, Lynford will serve as the chief diversity officer that is part of the dean’s leadership team with overall responsibility for ensuring that Grainger Engineering becomes a leader among engineering schools in the DEI space. This position will work with the dean and other college leaders to identify and implement best practices for advancing DEI efforts in organizational culture, teaching, and public engagement. He will also serve as a partner and liaison to other university entities, including the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, to ensure alignment of college and university priorities.
As the Dean mentioned in his internal announcement, "[w]e must all strive towards energizing our faculty, staff, and students to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. I am excited about Lynford’s vision for this office and look forward to partnering with him and all of you for immediate, impactful, and positive change across our college."