Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

One of our UC Davis themes is “Outgrow the Expected.” This report serves as a reminder that UC Davis is indeed outgrowing even our own expectations as we do ever more to be compassionate, inclusive, thoughtful, insightful, aware, and action-oriented in our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, or DEI, practice.

While this report focuses on the work of our office, we can’t help but include stories and quotes that reflect the many collaborators and partners that work with us. Our staff simply could not make all of this happen without our colleagues across campus. DEI is—and must be—a collective effort.

The cover of our report reflects this reality. Seen on the UC Davis Human Resources website and on the wall as art at the Manetti-Shrem museum, the phrase, “You Belong Here” became the DEI office’s mantra for reaching out to our campus community. Whether you were arriving to campus for the first time or returning from a long break due to Covid-19, we want YOU to know that YOU matter.

We are proud that UC Davis is being recognized nationally as a leader in diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. This is a tribute to our campus leadership, which continues to support our office, both practically and by championing our projects.

On behalf of the entire team, I want to again thank the volunteers across our campus and in our community who worked with us. We hope that you see yourself and your work reflected in these pages.

In late fall-early winter 2021 the Institute for Diversity, Equity, and Advancement (IDEA) in the UC Davis Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion partnered with the UCD-based non-profit Sacramento Area Youth Speaks (SAYS) to design the COVID Diaries research project. It was implemented in March – June 2022 at eight middle and high schools (6 - 12th grades) served by SAYS in Sacramento County and Yolo County. To learn more about the project’s findings, see the COVID Diaries White Paper on eScholarship.

Healthy Yolo Together (HYT), also known as Healthy Davis Together (HDT), is a joint project of the City of Davis and UC Davis. It is designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through the development of access to testing and vaccines, the dissemination of accurate information to counter misinformation, and the facilitation of a gradual return to regular city activities. The project commenced in September 2020 with a focus on Davis but later expanded to Yolo County.

When I reflect back, not only on the year covered in this report, but the past eighteen months, I consider how much effort it has taken to make sure that tens of thousands in our campus and community are safe and healthy (physically and mentally), yet also are able to meet their basic needs, be productive, and serve others. It has been a daunting task, but we are UC Davis, and UC Davis has taken this challenge head on.

Efforts to diversify faculty often focus on opportunities for hiring while overlooking the creation of environments that engender opportunities for faculty development in the long-term. These missed opportunities hamper scholarly productivity and erode the job satisfaction necessary to retain new hires through tenure and into the full professor ranks. P.L.A.C.E. with CAMPSSAH positions the center as an interdisciplinary hub for research and service activities for faculty of color, under represented minorities (URM), and faculty whose work forms the foundation of inclusive excellence at UC Davis. To foster holistic development, sustained growth, and retention of these faculty, this endeavor invests resources in three areas: community, leadership, and recognition.