UC Berkeley African American Initiative: Summary
Content
The UC Berkeley African American Initiative: Highlights
On September 3, 2015 Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks and Executive Vice Chancellor
and Provost (EVCP) Claude Steele announced the UC Berkeley African American
Initiative, a comprehensive effort to address the underrepresentation and campus
climate for African American students, faculty, and staff – for those who are here
now and those who will join our campus community in the future. The Vice
Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion (VCEI) will direct the initiative under the
sponsorship of the Chancellor and EVCP.
Making the Case:
African Americans have faced especially formidable obstacles at Berkeley. The
issue is well-documented: African Americans make up only 3% of the
undergraduate student body, 4% of graduate students, and 2% of faculty,
compared to a state population of 6%.
Moreover, the 2013 Campus Climate Survey found that African American students
feel the least respected among all groups on campus. The survey data also tell us
that non-African Americans over-estimate the positive climate for African
Americans. For example, nearly 90% of whites and Asians say the climate for
African Americans is respectful, while just under 50% of African Americans rate the
climate as respectful. Anecdotal and empirical evidence indicate that African
Americans are routinely excluded from study groups, and undergraduate
graduation rates for African Americans lag behind those for other groups at
Berkeley.
Goals of the Initiative:
The UC Berkeley African American Initiative has three overarching goals:
1. Achieve a critical mass of African American students, faculty, and senior staff
at Berkeley. Doing so will reduce the isolation that African Americans feel,
while at the same time, making sure that Berkeley more fully represents the
diversity of California and our nation.
2. Ensure that the African Americans who are here now feel welcome,
supported, and respected. We will continue to implement efforts to improve
the campus climate, not just for African Americans, but for everyone.
3. Achieve the reality and deliver the message that Berkeley is welcoming for
African Americans, that our campus is a beacon for social mobility and global
diversity, and that everyone is respected and supported.
Strategies and Actions to Meet Goals:
The following strategies and actions were developed based on recommendations
from Black/African American student leaders, staff from the division of Equity &
Inclusion, and input from Deans, the Academic Senate (DECC committee), senior
campus leadership, and other key stakeholders.
1
1. We will work with the campus University Relations and Black alumni clubs to
create a $20 million endowed scholarship fund for African American
undergraduates.
Privately administered scholarships for admitted African American
undergraduates to increase number of enrolled African American
undergraduates.
2. We will work more closely with all of the relevant campus partners and
programs to improve the recruitment and yield of African American
students, and other underrepresented ethnic minorities.
The LEAD Center will designate a full-time position to serve as the
coordinator and liaison for “bridges”, the consortium of student-run
recruitment and retention centers.
The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (VCSA) and Vice Chancellor for
Equity & Inclusion (VCEI) have formed a new taskforce, made up of
students, faculty, and staff a comprehensive programmatic and financial
strategy to increase the effectiveness of recruitment and yield programs.
The taskforce report is due by November 2015.
3. We are committed to improving the social, personal and academic
support provided to current and future African American students:
VCEI will form a work group to assess and identity realistic options for
the location and financing of a Black Student Resource Center in
partnership with the existing Office of African American Student
Development.
Fill current and future vacancies in Counseling and Psychological
Services with at least two skilled clinical psychologists or therapists
who have training and experience in providing culturally specific
counseling, and who can provide more effective mental health services
to African American student communities.
Continue to sustain and expand programs that have been shown to
increase a sense of institutional inclusion in the academic life of UC
Berkeley: Getting into Graduate School (GIGS), a mentorship
program to prepare students for graduate school admission; and
American Cultures Engaged Scholarship courses that connect
enrolled students in collaborative projects with local community
partners on broad social issues and interests.
Continue to implement the Campus Climate Initiative to address, in
part, the micro-aggressions and conscious and unconscious acts of bias
that mar the experiences of African Americans and all other groups.
The initiative includes a new undergraduate course on Intergroup
Dialogue; components of the new Wellness course for freshmen that
will address inclusion, Innovation Grants for new campus climate
projects, additional diversity training through the Multicultural
Education Program (MEP), support for symposia and town halls, and
2
a public education campaign on diversity opportunity, and campus
climate
4. We are committed to helping all Berkeley faculty and GSIs improve the
classroom climate by reducing the chances that African American and
other students who are different from the majority of students will be
isolated or excluded from study groups and classroom discussions or find the
classroom climate otherwise unwelcoming.
The VCEI office will disseminate best practices and resources to
creating inclusive classrooms, including training and pedagogical
resources for faculty and GSIs as part of the Campus Climate
Initiative.
Deans to report on steps taken toward more inclusive classroom
climates and study group practices by the June 2016.
We will work with the Academic Senate (as suggested by the DECC
committee) that asks for student feedback on instructors’ ability to
foster inclusive classrooms and study groups.
5. We are calling for new campus strategic initiatives that increase faculty
diversity more rapidly over the next 10 years.
Promote the addition of graduate student representation to faculty
search committees, as recommended by the Graduate Assembly and
the Office of Faculty Equity.
As part of the way that faculty positions are granted by the campus,
the EVCP and Vice Provost for the Faculty have developed new policies
and practices that prioritize faculty diversity in alignment with
Regent’s Standing Order 4400.
Increase the hiring of faculty from the President’s Postdoctoral
Fellowship Program.
6. We will continue efforts to increase the racial and gender diversity of
Berkeley’s senior management.
The Campus Climate Initiative includes two staff-focused projects to
improve the opportunities for staff professional development: The Next
Opportunity at Work (NOW) Conference and a pilot program for
Professionals of Color.
Improve capacity to track and implement Affirmative Action goals and
time-tables across campus departments.
Regular reporting on the effects of large campus programs (such as
Campus Shared Services) on the hiring, distribution, and advancement
of African American staff.
We will explore with HR the implementation of “Staff Equity Advisors”
throughout the campus, (adapting the model of Faculty Equity
Advisors) who can provide focus on equity and climate issues at the
local or unit level.
3
7. We will provide clear and positive messaging about the about the ways in
which Berkeley embraces African American students, faculty and staff and to
change the widely held perception that Berkley is not a welcoming place for
African Americans.
The VCEI office will consult with Black alumni groups and UCB Public
Affairs to develop a suite of messaging campaigns directed at the
African American communities in California, and prospective students
and their families. Another component of messaging will be internal,
so that everyone on campus is aware of the efforts and progress
towards the goals of this Initiative. Launch campaign in spring 2016.
Consider hosting a national conference on the African American
experience in higher education with the goal of developing a
critical framework and strategies to improve the access and success of
African American students at selective colleges and universities. Begin
planning in 2016 with a possible conference in 2017.
Accountability
Given the ambitious nature of this initiative and the critical need to ensure its
success, the Chancellor will appoint an Implementation Taskforce, chaired by
the Vice Chancellor of Equity & Inclusion and made up of faculty, students and
staff, to monitor the progress on the goals and strategies of this initiative. This
Taskforce will report at least annually on the progress towards each of the actions
listed in the Initiative, with the first report due in December 2015. It may
recommend further efforts or resources when needed to advance each of the
goals.
4
On September 3, 2015 Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks and Executive Vice Chancellor
and Provost (EVCP) Claude Steele announced the UC Berkeley African American
Initiative, a comprehensive effort to address the underrepresentation and campus
climate for African American students, faculty, and staff – for those who are here
now and those who will join our campus community in the future. The Vice
Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion (VCEI) will direct the initiative under the
sponsorship of the Chancellor and EVCP.
Making the Case:
African Americans have faced especially formidable obstacles at Berkeley. The
issue is well-documented: African Americans make up only 3% of the
undergraduate student body, 4% of graduate students, and 2% of faculty,
compared to a state population of 6%.
Moreover, the 2013 Campus Climate Survey found that African American students
feel the least respected among all groups on campus. The survey data also tell us
that non-African Americans over-estimate the positive climate for African
Americans. For example, nearly 90% of whites and Asians say the climate for
African Americans is respectful, while just under 50% of African Americans rate the
climate as respectful. Anecdotal and empirical evidence indicate that African
Americans are routinely excluded from study groups, and undergraduate
graduation rates for African Americans lag behind those for other groups at
Berkeley.
Goals of the Initiative:
The UC Berkeley African American Initiative has three overarching goals:
1. Achieve a critical mass of African American students, faculty, and senior staff
at Berkeley. Doing so will reduce the isolation that African Americans feel,
while at the same time, making sure that Berkeley more fully represents the
diversity of California and our nation.
2. Ensure that the African Americans who are here now feel welcome,
supported, and respected. We will continue to implement efforts to improve
the campus climate, not just for African Americans, but for everyone.
3. Achieve the reality and deliver the message that Berkeley is welcoming for
African Americans, that our campus is a beacon for social mobility and global
diversity, and that everyone is respected and supported.
Strategies and Actions to Meet Goals:
The following strategies and actions were developed based on recommendations
from Black/African American student leaders, staff from the division of Equity &
Inclusion, and input from Deans, the Academic Senate (DECC committee), senior
campus leadership, and other key stakeholders.
1
1. We will work with the campus University Relations and Black alumni clubs to
create a $20 million endowed scholarship fund for African American
undergraduates.
Privately administered scholarships for admitted African American
undergraduates to increase number of enrolled African American
undergraduates.
2. We will work more closely with all of the relevant campus partners and
programs to improve the recruitment and yield of African American
students, and other underrepresented ethnic minorities.
The LEAD Center will designate a full-time position to serve as the
coordinator and liaison for “bridges”, the consortium of student-run
recruitment and retention centers.
The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (VCSA) and Vice Chancellor for
Equity & Inclusion (VCEI) have formed a new taskforce, made up of
students, faculty, and staff a comprehensive programmatic and financial
strategy to increase the effectiveness of recruitment and yield programs.
The taskforce report is due by November 2015.
3. We are committed to improving the social, personal and academic
support provided to current and future African American students:
VCEI will form a work group to assess and identity realistic options for
the location and financing of a Black Student Resource Center in
partnership with the existing Office of African American Student
Development.
Fill current and future vacancies in Counseling and Psychological
Services with at least two skilled clinical psychologists or therapists
who have training and experience in providing culturally specific
counseling, and who can provide more effective mental health services
to African American student communities.
Continue to sustain and expand programs that have been shown to
increase a sense of institutional inclusion in the academic life of UC
Berkeley: Getting into Graduate School (GIGS), a mentorship
program to prepare students for graduate school admission; and
American Cultures Engaged Scholarship courses that connect
enrolled students in collaborative projects with local community
partners on broad social issues and interests.
Continue to implement the Campus Climate Initiative to address, in
part, the micro-aggressions and conscious and unconscious acts of bias
that mar the experiences of African Americans and all other groups.
The initiative includes a new undergraduate course on Intergroup
Dialogue; components of the new Wellness course for freshmen that
will address inclusion, Innovation Grants for new campus climate
projects, additional diversity training through the Multicultural
Education Program (MEP), support for symposia and town halls, and
2
a public education campaign on diversity opportunity, and campus
climate
4. We are committed to helping all Berkeley faculty and GSIs improve the
classroom climate by reducing the chances that African American and
other students who are different from the majority of students will be
isolated or excluded from study groups and classroom discussions or find the
classroom climate otherwise unwelcoming.
The VCEI office will disseminate best practices and resources to
creating inclusive classrooms, including training and pedagogical
resources for faculty and GSIs as part of the Campus Climate
Initiative.
Deans to report on steps taken toward more inclusive classroom
climates and study group practices by the June 2016.
We will work with the Academic Senate (as suggested by the DECC
committee) that asks for student feedback on instructors’ ability to
foster inclusive classrooms and study groups.
5. We are calling for new campus strategic initiatives that increase faculty
diversity more rapidly over the next 10 years.
Promote the addition of graduate student representation to faculty
search committees, as recommended by the Graduate Assembly and
the Office of Faculty Equity.
As part of the way that faculty positions are granted by the campus,
the EVCP and Vice Provost for the Faculty have developed new policies
and practices that prioritize faculty diversity in alignment with
Regent’s Standing Order 4400.
Increase the hiring of faculty from the President’s Postdoctoral
Fellowship Program.
6. We will continue efforts to increase the racial and gender diversity of
Berkeley’s senior management.
The Campus Climate Initiative includes two staff-focused projects to
improve the opportunities for staff professional development: The Next
Opportunity at Work (NOW) Conference and a pilot program for
Professionals of Color.
Improve capacity to track and implement Affirmative Action goals and
time-tables across campus departments.
Regular reporting on the effects of large campus programs (such as
Campus Shared Services) on the hiring, distribution, and advancement
of African American staff.
We will explore with HR the implementation of “Staff Equity Advisors”
throughout the campus, (adapting the model of Faculty Equity
Advisors) who can provide focus on equity and climate issues at the
local or unit level.
3
7. We will provide clear and positive messaging about the about the ways in
which Berkeley embraces African American students, faculty and staff and to
change the widely held perception that Berkley is not a welcoming place for
African Americans.
The VCEI office will consult with Black alumni groups and UCB Public
Affairs to develop a suite of messaging campaigns directed at the
African American communities in California, and prospective students
and their families. Another component of messaging will be internal,
so that everyone on campus is aware of the efforts and progress
towards the goals of this Initiative. Launch campaign in spring 2016.
Consider hosting a national conference on the African American
experience in higher education with the goal of developing a
critical framework and strategies to improve the access and success of
African American students at selective colleges and universities. Begin
planning in 2016 with a possible conference in 2017.
Accountability
Given the ambitious nature of this initiative and the critical need to ensure its
success, the Chancellor will appoint an Implementation Taskforce, chaired by
the Vice Chancellor of Equity & Inclusion and made up of faculty, students and
staff, to monitor the progress on the goals and strategies of this initiative. This
Taskforce will report at least annually on the progress towards each of the actions
listed in the Initiative, with the first report due in December 2015. It may
recommend further efforts or resources when needed to advance each of the
goals.
4
