Reports
Chancellor Dynes' 10-Point Diversity Action Plan
Chancellor Dynes created a Commission on Diversity in 1997 to engage in wide-ranging discussions focused on improving UCSD’s diversity efforts. The Commission reported its recommendations to the Chancellor in February of 1998. Subsequently, the Chancellor broadly sought campus comment on the report. The Chancellor and Vice Chancellors also intensely considered the report’s recommendations and their implementation and developed additional strategies to increase and nurture diversity.Based upon this comprehensive approach, Chancellor Dynes has created, and is immediately implementing, the following 10-Point Action Plan.
- To underscore his and the campus’ commitment to diversity, and to insure that diversity efforts are pursued as a major institutional priority, the Chancellor wholeheartedly accepts the Commission’s recommendation to designate himself as the Chief Diversity Officer of UCSD.
- To strengthen the impact and cohesiveness of UCSD’s diversity efforts, the Chancellor is establishing a UCSD Diversity Council, comprised of faculty, staff and students. This will not be an administration Council; the members will represent the full UCSD community. The Council will replace the Chancellor’s Affirmative Action Advisory Committee and the Diversity Education Leadership Team. Building on the achievements of those committees, the Council will oversee a broad agenda of proactive diversity activities. These include further assessing the effectiveness of UCSD’s diversity efforts and programs, bringing diversity issues and opportunities to the Chancellor’s attention, and recommending policy changes that will positively impact diversity at UCSD.
- To increase student diversity, the campus is setting a goal of tripling UCSD’s current scholarship base to annually awarding $1million in undergraduate scholarships, by the year 2002. In addition, the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Vice Chancellor, Development and University Relations will seek increased private funding for graduate fellowships.
- To increase the diversity of the undergraduate student body, the campus has established a goal of annually increasing UCSD’s new underrepresented student population by 10%. The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and his staff, have pledged their commitment to achieving this goal. Further, the Vice Chancellor, Development and University Relations pledges to assist academic departments and programs in obtaining external support for joint student/faculty outreach efforts to attract new students, and for academic enrichment programs for current students.
- As a further step toward increasing undergraduate diversity, high achievers from all high schools in San Diego and Imperial counties should be identified and recruited to UCSD. Toward this goal, the Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs are committed to working with the Admissions Committee on a plan to offer admission to the top 4% of UC-eligible graduates from each high school in these two counties. In addition, the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs initiated this year the Community Scholarship Program, in which the campus partners with high school principals to award scholarships to UCSD-eligible students who demonstrate a commitment to their community.
- Setting increased faculty diversity as an institutional priority, the Chancellor pledges resources to efforts that produce results. Toward this goal, the Senior Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs will benchmark and recommend to the Chancellor the nation’s "best practices" in faculty recruitment and retention. Also toward this end, a Distinguished Visitors Program and the "Profiles in Diversity" project recommended by the Commission will be implemented.
- To address staff diversity issues, the Vice Chancellor, Business Affairs will institute, this year, performance requirements for administrators’, managers’, and other employees’ adherence to the UCSD Principles of Community and support for diversity. Campus-wide funding for training and professional development will be increased, and greater staff access to training will be promoted. Further, a number of staff recruitment and retention efforts, and other initiatives aimed at increasing staff diversity, will be pursued on an ambitious timetable.
- Initiatives that improve the campus climate will be nurtured. The Cross-Cultural Center and the Women’s Center are examples of programs that have accomplished this goal. As the Commission recommends, resources for these Centers will be increased. Space for UCSD’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans- gender communities will be one of the first issues the Diversity Council considers.
- To insure that they receive the broadest input possible, the Diversity Council will talk with campus constituencies regarding the development and implementation of diversity initiatives. On the Chancellor’s behalf and through a variety of methods -- including a twice-yearly Diversity Forum -- the Council will facilitate an exchange of views on diversity issues, challenges, and strategies. The Council will bring these matters to the Chancellor for review and action.
- The Chancellor will implement the CREATE program, a UCSD-designed, comprehensive initiative to increase the number of underrepresented students who achieve UC-eligibility, enroll at UCSD and other UC caliber universities, and fulfill their potential as college students and graduates. This broad K-12 outreach effort includes the creation of a Model School, partnerships with school clusters, teacher development, outreach and recruitment, research, and an assessment of K-12 educational practices.
Each Vice Chancellor also has created detailed responses to specific recommendations in the Diversity Commission’s report. That comprehensive response is titled the Chancellor’s Diversity Plan and will be available at: diversity.ucsd.edu, and at all UCSD libraries.
Diversity Council Action Items for Chancellor Fox
April 17, 2008
At its Winter Quarter 2008 meeting the UCSD Diversity Council considered numerous issues and reports and recommended several action items. I will specify the suggested action items then supplement them with background and rationale.
1. The Diversity Council asks Chancellor Fox to explore the creation of a regional council of the chief officers of San Diego region higher education institutions, including community colleges and universities. This group should meet regularly to discuss common interests, including matters related to faculty, staff, students and related procedures and issues. Numerous dimensions of these concerns would clearly be relevant to questions of campus diversity.
Background:
Professor Henry Powell, former divisional chair, future systemwide chair and member of the Diversity Council, along with Council community representative Ms. Adela Garcia, had an extensive and productive meeting with the President of Southwest College, Dr. R.K. Chopra, on matters concerning diversity and particularly concerns over junior transfer requirement to UC and CSU campuses. In his report to the DC, Professor Powell felt there was an obvious need for better communications between heads of institutions and that this would have a significant impact on making UCSD, specifically, more aware of community needs when it comes to preparing students for admission to our campus. After hearing of similar cooperative entities working between certain departments and faculties across the UC system, the DC further felt, given the uncertain times brought on by the states budget crisis, but also due to the ongoing commonality of interests between the UC, CSU and CC institutions, a high-level mechanism to improve communication and share ideas would be mutually beneficial.
2. Related to the first action item, but more specific to the concerns of transfer students from regional community colleges, the Diversity Council strongly recommends a thorough evaluation of the mechanisms by which juniors are directed/advised to qualify for UC, and particularly UCSD, admission.
Background:
One outcome of Professor Powell and Ms. Garcia’s discussions with President Chopra, was the identification of inconsistencies and at times contradictory specifics of preparation/qualification programs such as TAG and IGETSI. There are too many vague or confusing elements of these paradigms that make it hard for high school councilors and community college staff to interpret with precision and assurance of outcome for some students. A specific glaring failure of these structures is properly advising/preparing students for transfer admission to our School of Engineering.
At our meeting, CDO Sandra Daley described another paradigm to prepare community college students for UC admission called University Link. This program focused on ten area community colleges (8 in San Diego County, 1 in East Los Angeles, and 1 in Imperial County). The program included campus visits and targeting students in the biological and behavioral sciences. Interactions included advising and focusing on the specific expectations and skills needed for UCSD admission. A more intensive addition to this basic program was Summer Experience, which brought a number of community college students to campus for four weeks for intensive course work and mentoring by peer advisors. Statistics for the years 2001 -05 revealed a remarkable success rate for these programs.
Attrition rates for junior transfers who were admitted through TAG/IGETSI programs were 13 14%. Transfers who took advantage of University Link had an 8% attrition rate, and those who also attended Summer Experience had a 4% attrition rate.
The Diversity Council was impressed by these numbers and felt that a wider consideration of how community college students are advised and prepared for UC eligibility would be worth further exploration. The DC agreed that improving these mechanisms would have a positive and wide-ranging effect for increasing student diversity at UCSD.
3. Chancellor Fox should encourage the sharing of data across campus offices that relate to diversity at all levels of the campus. The Diversity Council notes that there have been numerous studies of campus climate (collected from students, faculty and staff), as well as relations with community colleges, that have not been read or interpreted for a better sense of an overview or interconnected relevance. Identifying and collating this data may provide some vital and revealing information for the current and future state of campus diversity.
Background:
The Diversity Council has noted, over the course of many meetings, how often studies are done that provide new pictures of small segments of campus life. While the DC has often felt that initiating new, narrowly targeted surveys would be valuable, we have also come to the realization that a lot of data already has been collected that has not been collated with a sense of integration in order to connect wider and related areas of concern. Identifying, bringing together and interpreting this growing body of information would preclude duplication of efforts and lead to hitherto unrealized insights.
Sincerely,
Robert Cancel
Chair
UC San Diego Diversity Council
- UC Report of the Staff Diversity Council
- UC San Diego's June 2007 Response to the UC President's Task Force on Faculty Diversity Report of May 2006
- Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Issues (CAC GISOI) Focus Groups Report
- Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Issues (CAC GISOI) Annual Report, 2004 – 2006
- Chancellor's Response to the Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Issues Meeting and Discussion of Committee’s Recommendations
- Final Report of the Disability Management Work Group
- Chancellor's Response to the Final Report of the Disability Management Work Group
Diversity Council Annual Report 1998-1999
Table of Contents
Message from the ChancellorAppendixes:
Diversity Council Web site
UCSD’s Principles of Community
Diversity Action Plan Progress Report - Vice Chancellor-specific progress report
Message from the Chancellor
Diversity is crucial to the academic excellence of our campus. If we are to fulfill our institutional mission in a state as diverse and multi-ethnic as California, we must make UCSD a campus where students, staff and faculty from many different backgrounds and life experiences interact and learn from each other.
During my first year as Chancellor, I appointed a Commission on Diversity to look at the status of UCSD’s diversity efforts and to recommend ways to improve their effectiveness. The Commission’s report became the basis for the 10-Point Action Plan I implemented in June 1998. In the first point on that plan, I accepted the Commission’s recommendation that I assume the role of Chief Diversity Officer of UCSD. In the second point, again following the Commission’s lead, I agreed to establish a Diversity Council comprised of faculty, staff and students to advise me in my role as CDO.
In November 1998, after extensive consultation with campus constituencies concerning the composition and functions of the Diversity Council, I appointed the eighteen charter members and asked former Chancellor Herb York to serve as chair. I have charged the Council with a number of responsibilities: it reviews campus policies and practices related to diversity, recommends activities and programs that promote diversity, and facilitates communication about diversity issues. It addresses a broad array of questions, including institutional access and representation, campus climate and intergroup relations, education and scholarship, and institutional transformation.
In its first year, the Diversity Council has undertaken a challenging process of self-education and information gathering, meeting with a number of program heads and Vice Chancellors in order to assess the current status of diversity activities. It has set up venues of communication such as the Diversity Web Page and a Town Hall meeting. And, not least important, it has provided me with valuable information and recommendations. The details are provided in this annual report.
As the Council moves into its second year of operation, I wish to thank its members for their dedicated work. In the coming year, I look forward to expanding our collaborative efforts to make UCSD the diverse community it must become in order to support its commitment to excellence.
Robert C. Dynes
Chancellor
Diversity Council Mission Statement
The University of California is committed to the promotion of diversity in all its programs. We strive to ensure that all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.
We believe the University environment is greatly enriched by the presence of people with diverse backgrounds and cultural perspectives. In fostering such an environment we seek to: 1) encourage respect and understanding of all cultural traditions; 2) promote greater diversity among faculty, staff, and students; 3) support campus diversity-related initiatives and communicate their results to the campus and the surrounding community.
We firmly believe that the ideals of a diverse University population and educational excellence are not only perfectly compatible but also mutually beneficial. We stand committed to promotion of both these ideals and to a reaffirmation of the UCSD Principles of Community.
Overview from the Diversity Council Chair
The Diversity Council held its first working meeting in January 1999. Having now completed our first full year of activity, it seems appropriate that we should issue a report on what we have done. Indeed, in view of the Council’s role in facilitating dialogue and information-sharing on questions of diversity, we expect that the Council will provide an annual report on its activities every January.
When the Council took up its charge last year, it faced two urgent preliminary tasks: to develop an internal structure that would enable it to work efficiently and to educate itself about the status of diversity at UCSD and the many programs and policies that address diversity issues. Very early on, we decided that the most effective way to proceed was to set up subcommittees that would work in small groups on specific questions and bring their findings and recommendations to the larger body for approval. Five subcommittees were established, dealing with the following areas: student matters, staff matters, faculty matters, monitoring, and communications. The composition of these subcommittees is indicated in the roster attached to this report. About halfway through the year the Council requested that the Chancellor appoint two vice-chairs to provide continuity and leadership in the event that the chair was unable to attend a meeting or an event. Lori Guardiano-Durkin and Deborah Wingard were appointed to serve in this capacity.
The task of informing ourselves about matters under the Council’s purview is by its very nature an ongoing process. We have adopted multiple approaches. First, a substantial portion of a retreat held in January 1999 was devoted to providing Council members with current statistical data as well as information on policies and regulations relating to affirmative action and diversity. Second, the Council carefully studied the report of the Commission on Diversity (February 1998), both to understand its assessment of the state of diversity on campus and to consider its recommendations. Third, the Council asked a number of staff members and administrators to make presentations at its meetings. In the course of the year, the full Council held discussions with Jon Welch, director of Office of Academic Affirmative Action; Paula Doss, director of Staff Affirmative Action; Bud Mehan, director of CREATE; Joseph Watson, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs; and Marsha Chandler, Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. Fourth, subcommittees sought information and updates from knowledgeable individuals and reported their findings to the full Council. As part of its work, the Council will continue seeking the information it needs for its deliberations.
Taking as a starting point the recommendations of the Commission on Diversity, the Council also began to formulate recommendations and to undertake initiatives aimed at increasing campus diversity. Details about recommendations and actions are included in the subcommittee reports that follow this overview. I would simply note that the Council has proposed a set of recommendations concerned with student admissions and retention. A response from the Chancellor concerning implementation is expected this month. Additionally, I would call attention to the Diversity Web Page set up by the Communication/Publicity Committee. We hope that inclusion of the progress reports on diversity efforts in all the Vice Chancellor areas will encourage interaction and communication on these issues.
To meet its responsibility to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on UCSD’s diversity efforts, the Council organized a Town Hall meeting on January 17, 2000. In addition to facilitating dialogue between the Chancellor, the members of the Diversity Council and the campus community, the Town Hall meeting provided informational tables on UCSD programs and organizations related to diversity.
The Council has accomplished a great deal during its first year. Above all, it has established an organizational structure and a momentum that will carry into the coming year. Recommendations on student matters have been forwarded to the Chancellor and recommendations on staff and faculty matters are in the works. In the coming year, the Council is planning to devote more energy to its monitoring function. We look forward to continuing to work with the Chancellor and the UCSD community as a whole to achieve our shared goal of a richly diverse and inclusive campus.
Herb York
Chair, Diversity Council
Faculty Subcommittee
The primary focus of the faculty subcommittee during the past year was to consider various ways of increasing the diversity of the faculty. The goal is an important one. The faculty not only play a key role in educating and training students, but also share in the governance of the university, and we believe that these roles are better served by a faculty that have the same kinds of diversity of backgrounds and interests that we hope to achieve among students and staff. There are also key intellectual challenges to be faced. California will soon be the first "non-majority" state in the nation, and this creates significant challenges in areas ranging from (for example) public policy, community planning, immigration, labor, and medical service, to education, ethnic studies, literature, social organization, etc. The University of California's status as a land grant institution provide a compelling precedent for the University's playing leading role in addressing issues of public interest. It is clear that many of the major issues confronting the state--indeed, the nation--will arise from the increasing diversity of the population; we believe it is appropriate for the University to take the lead in addressing these issues. During the 1998-1999 year the committee considered a number of proposals for increasing faculty diversity. A major constraining factor has been the need to work within the confines of the Regents' Resolution SP-2 and Proposition 209. We are currently developing a proposal that would commit some significant number of new faculty positions over the next ten years in areas related to diversity-relevant studies. We are also studying current hiring practices with the goal of finding ways to increase the diversity of the recruiting pool.
Faculty Subcommittee
Roster
1998-99
Laura Barraclough
Jeffrey Elman, Chair
Annette Greene
David Gutierrez
Ramon Gutierrez, Consultant
Karen Kavanagh
Susan Kirkpatrick, Consultant
Robert Parker
Sonya Summerour
Deborah Wingard
Herbert York
Staff Subcommittee
The Staff Subcommittee of the Diversity Council chose two projects to work on as it’s first activities, investigating the various professional leave policies and reviewing related initiatives described in the Diversity Commission’s Report that affect staff employees.
We began our professional development leave policy investigation by meeting with representatives from Human Resources. During this meeting we were provided with information that described what policies are in place. In subsequent staff subcommittee meetings, we discussed these policies, the actual implementation practices and how both policy and practice affected opportunities for staff to acquire skills and knowledge necessary for career development. We are now developing a recommendation for a professional development policy. The goal of this recommendation is to implement a policy that will afford individual staff members greater opportunities for professional development.
We are also concerned about the status of some of the initiatives described in the Diversity Commission’s Report. In order to gain a better understanding of these initiatives, we have just begun a dialog with Vice Chancellor Relyea and Assistant Vice Chancellor Davis. The specific six initiatives are:
- Evaluation of Staff Affirmative Action Training Programs, Scholarship Awards, Career Connection, Staff Association, and Employee Rehabilitation Program.
- Findings to provide tuition remissions for employees and time for training skills acquisition.
- Findings of Human Resources to implement an exit interview process and analyze results.
- Establish a National Coalition Building Chapter on Campus.
- Elevate Diversity Awards to Employee Recognition Awards (Exemplary Staff Award Program)
- Assess the representation of women and minorities at higher level administrative positions.
Staff Subcommittee
Roster
1998-99
Belmontez, Richard, Vice Chair
Tom Collins
Omid Ghaemmaghami
Lori Guardiano-Durkin, Chair
Catherine Joseph
Linda Williams
Herbert York
Student Subcommittee
The Student Subcommittee analyzed the Diversity Commission's recommendations and subsequent Vice Chancellors' responses. It also dialogued with administrators in Student Affairs to gain additional information regarding critical issues of equity and diversity for underrepresented students. After approximately nine months of analysis, the subcommittee presented the following recommendations (which it considers only a first step to achieve necessary progress).
Student Subcommittee Recommendations:
(1) Revisions in Admissions Criteria, including an increased term for the chair of the Senate Admissions Committee; a 50/50 split of Admissions Groups a and B (changed from a 60/40 split); research of admissions procedures at UCLA and UC Berkeley; lobbying for reforms in the admissions process to reduce the weight of SAT scores and AP courses; and monitoring and assessment of the UC Regents’ newly implemented 4% plan.
(2) Scholarships for Underrepresented Students - including the establishment of $2 million as a goal for scholarships to be allocated to new students, effective Fall 2001; priority assigned to maintaining and developing scholarships for underrepresented students; and conducting research on national scholarships available to underrepresented students, then making this information available to students online.
(3) Campus Climate and Student Services - including the allocation of institutional funding to high school conferences hosted by AASU and MEChA; the allocation of permanent funding to OASIS for existing and additional services; and allocating increased funding to the five undergraduate colleges for services designed to meet the need of underrepresented students.
Student Subcommittee
Roster
1998-99
Laura Barraclough
Lindsay Calderon
Natalie Davis
Omid Ghaemmaghami
Annette Greene, Vice-chair
Catherine Joseph
Linda Olson
Alex Sario
Patrick Velasquez, Chair
Linda Williams, Consultant
Herbert York
Communication and Publicity Subcommittee
The Publicity and Communication Subcommittee spent their first year developing and implementing a plan for the dissemination of diversity-related information to the UCSD community and the general public. With the help of Claire Mizumoto, the committee developed a diversity-specific webpage. This site includes a UCSD diversity-specific mission statement, the Principles of Community, an updated Diversity Action Plan, a list of diversity-related organizations on campus, relevant laws and university policy and information on the UCSD Diversity Council. The subcommittee also met with Win Cox, Assistant Vice Chancellor, University Communications and Linda Maczko, Director Administrative Records, to develop a plan for dissemination of diversity-related information to the campus community via print and electronic media, as well as through public meetings. The subcommittee recommended that the full council produce an annual report, to be shared with the campus via print and electronic media, our new webpage, and (at least this year) a public meeting. The subcommittee also recommended that the Chancellor appoint a committee annually to plan a diversity-related event for the entire campus, and to provide (or find) funding for this event.
Communication and Publicity Subcommittee
Roster
1998-99
Richard Belmontez
Omid Ghaemmaghami
Ramon Gutierrez, Consultant
Catherine Joseph, Vice Chair
Susan Kirkpatrick, Consultant
Deborah Wingard, Chair
Herbert York
Monitoring Subcommittee
The purpose of the newly established Monitoring Subcommittee is to review statistical reports relating to diversity among faculty, staff and students at UCSD. The subcommittee chaired by Tom Collins will determine which reports should be monitored routinely, in order to document areas of concern and progress over time. The subcommittee will make recommendations to the full Diversity Council on its findings.
Diversity Council Roster
1998-99
Laura Barraclough
Richard Belmontez
Lindsay Calderon
Tom Collins
Natalie Davis
Jeffrey Elman
Omid Ghaemmaghami
Annette Greene
Lori Guardiano-Durkin, Co-chair
David Gutierrez
Ramon Gutierrez, Consultant
Catherine Joseph
Karen Kavanagh
Susan Kirkpatrick, Consultant
Linda Olson
Robert Parker
Alex Sario
Sonya Summerour
Patrick Velasquez
Linda Williams, Consultant
Deborah Wingard, Co-Chair
Herb York, Chair
Please contact the Diversity Council at divcouncil@ucsd.edu
Principles of Community
The University of California, San Diego is dedicated to learning, teaching, and serving society through education, research, and public service. Our international reputation for excellence is due in large part to the cooperative and entrepreneurial nature of the UCSD community. UCSD faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to be creative and are rewarded for individual as well as collaborative achievements.
To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UCSD strives to maintain a climate of fairness, cooperation, and professionalism. These principles of community are vital to the success of the university and the well being of its constituents. UCSD faculty, staff, and students are expected to practice these basic principles as individuals and in groups.
We value each member of the UCSD community for his or her individual and unique talents, and applaud all efforts to enhance the quality of campus life. We recognize that each individual's effort is vital to achieving the goals of the university.
We affirm each individual's right to dignity and strive to maintain a climate of justice marked by mutual respect for each other.
We value the cultural diversity of UCSD because it enriches our lives and the university. We celebrate this diversity and support respect for all cultures, by both individuals and the university as a whole.
We are a university that adapts responsibly to cultural differences among the faculty, staff, students, and community.
We acknowledge that our society carries historical and divisive biases based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and political beliefs. Therefore, we seek to understanding and tolerance among individuals and groups, and, we promote awareness through education and constructive strategies for resolving conflict.
We reject acts of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and political beliefs, and, we will confront and appropriately respond to such acts.
We affirm the right to freedom of expression at UCSD. We promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity, confidentiality and respect. We are committed to the highest standards of civility and decency toward all. We are committed to promoting and supporting a community where all people can work and learn together in an atmosphere free of abusive or demeaning treatment.
We are committed to the enforcement of policies that promote the fulfillment of these principles1.
We represent diverse races, creeds, cultures, and social affiliations coming together for the good of the university and those communities we serve. By working together as members of the UCSD community, we can enhance the excellence of our institution.