Gender disparity and ethnic diversity are historic challenges in Computer Science (CS) that have faced a lack of progress in the past half-decade. Four CS faculty members explored and investigated the issue of gender disparity at a small, newly established, STEM-focused institution that is dedicated to primarily undergraduate teaching and serving many first-generation university students.
We collected statistics about female students in CS and the obstacles they face as they enter CS programs. We implemented a set of initiatives integrating best practices for improving equity, diversity, and inclusion, collected from attending CS education conferences and discussing within a focus group at the institution. Meanwhile, we encountered several challenges in the process, including limited participation from faculty members in our focus group, barriers in conducting a survey at a large conference, and difficulty in engaging the faculty and disseminating knowledge. We summarize crucial insights gained from our efforts in this initiative, which could be valuable for future implementation of similar initiatives in other small, newly established post-secondary institutions.