We’ve had the UC-wide Campus Community Survey; a Staff Assembly survey that touched on campus climate; a series of Diversity Dialogues on Graduate Education; and the COACHE Survey (Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education), administered by the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Now, the Strategic Planning Committee on Diversity and Inclusion is working on “a coordinated and more effective response to all of this valuable feedback,” said Rahim Reed, associate executive vice chancellor in charge of Campus Community Relations.

Suad Joseph, a faculty adviser to the chancellor, is the committee chair; she is a distinguished professor in the Department of Anthropology, Women and Gender Studies Program, and Middle East/South Asia Studies Program. The Office of Campus Community Relations is providing staff support.

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi appointed the committee over the summer, telling the members: “As you all know, achieving our ultimate goals when it comes to diversity and inclusion will take additional effort, thoughtful evaluation and a carefully designed plan to get us there.

“We undertake this initiative not merely because it is the appropriate course of action for any public institution, but also because we are committed to the notion that diversity and educational excellence go hand in hand, and that we cannot have one without the other.”

The chancellor noted that the university is “making tremendous strides” on a number of fronts, including the ADVANCE program (to diversify the faculty ranks in science, technology, engineering and mathematics); and enrollment of more Hispanic students, with a goal of reaching a minimum of 25 percent to earn the designation Hispanic-Serving Institution, as defined by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, by 2018-19.

But more must be done: “The planning process should proceed with a goal of providing a blueprint for engagement and community outreach, as well as specific actions that effectively demonstrate how UC Davis values and respects all those who work, live and learn in our campus community,” Katehi said.

“The foundation of this effort is based on the understanding that diversity is a fact of being human, and the focus of Human Equity is to discover and embrace the variations that make everyone unique. The plan should also seek to create an environment at UC Davis where all members of the campus community have an opportunity to be creative and productive, and to work, study and learn in a way that allows each of them to reach their full potential.”

The committee:

• Suad Joseph, faculty adviser to the chancellor (chair)
• David Acosta, associate vice chancellor, Office of Diversity and Community Engagement, UC Davis Health System
• Kareem S. Aref, Law Student Association
• Daniela De la Cruz Alvarez, student assistant to the chancellor
• Adela De la Torre, vice chancellor, Student Affairs
• Helene Dillard, dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
• Armando Figueroa, president, ASUCD
• Julie Freischlag, vice chancellor and dean, Human Health Sciences and School of Medicine
• Jeff Gibeling, dean, Graduate Studies
• Susan Gilbert, associate vice chancellor, Human Resources
• James Hildreth, dean, College of Biological Sciences
• Angel Hinzo, graduate student assistant to dean and chancellor
• Kevin Johnson, dean, School of Law
• Vincent Johnson, chief operating officer, UC Davis Medical Center
• Phil Kass, associate vice provost, Academic Affairs
• Andre Knoesen, chair, Academic Senate
• Luanne Lawrence, associate chancellor, Strategic Communications
• Lina Layiktez, chair, Staff Assembly
• Ron Mangun, dean, Division of Social Sciences, College of Letters and Science
• Susan Park, program director, Office of the Ombuds
• Rahim Reed, associate executive vice chancellor, Campus Community Relations
• Laura Van Winkle, chair, Academic Federation
• Erica Vonasek, vice chair, Graduate Student Assembly

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