Department efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion lift campus-wide win

The University of California, Davis, is continuing to build on its track record of creating an inclusive environment for faculty. Earlier this month, the university was recognized with the highest award available for that work from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In its evaluation for the award, AAAS highlighted the use on campus of the DEIBlueprint, a cost-effective way for departments to evaluate their own culture and increase inclusivity.  Plant Sciences was one of four departments on campus to explore this method, which will soon be expanded.

Over a period of about two and a half years, department members -- including faculty, staff and students -- responded to three surveys about the climate in the department. An internal committee used those survey responses to prioritize efforts to improve equity and inclusion in one of the largest departments on campus.

Chair Dan Potter praised the dedication of the committee members. 

“This is a great and well-deserved honor for UC Davis, and we should all be proud of it,” Potter said. “I applaud the many members of our campus community whose efforts are recognized by this award, and I am especially grateful to our own committee members for representing the Department of Plant Sciences in the DEI Blueprint program.”

The honor is a silver ranking in the association’s STEMM Equity Achievement (SEA) Change initiative. It recognizes self-assessment and improvement in equity in the fields of science, technology, math and medicine, or STEMM. But the university has gone even further, applying efforts in areas including hiring, retention and reducing salary inequities in all disciplines.

“The most creative ideas and discoveries arise when we empower people with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives to participate in STEMM,” Chancellor Gary S. May said. “Voices like these are key to our university, and we will always value their contributions.”

UC Davis is the first university to earn the silver award in the program’s history. The award was presented mid-February at the AAAS conference in Boston.

5-plus years of progress

In 2019, UC Davis was one of the first three universities to earn a SEA Change bronze award. The American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, requires a five-year wait before applying to the next award; it also requires awards to be earned in sequence from bronze up to gold.

As part of the application for the silver award, staff from 10 campus units evaluated UC Davis’ progress since earning the bronze award in 2019. They found a decrease in salary inequities among faculty members of different genders and ethnicities, and found no differences in advancement success in the university’s Step Plus promotion system among faculty members of different gender, ethnicity, veteran status or disability status. 

And since the passage of California’s Proposition 209, which has banned the consideration of race, sex or ethnicity in employment for nearly 20 years, UC Davis has continued to make gains in the diversity of its faculty, including a 29% increase in African American women and a 50% rise in Native American women since 2019.

Major milestones, broad support

Many of UC Davis’ programs to bolster diversity among faculty members have a long history. Last fall, the university welcomed its 10th class of scholars for the Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science, or CAMPOS. It also welcomed the newest scholars for the Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, or CAMPSSAH.

UC Davis made progress on another longstanding goal in fall 2024, becoming eligible to be one of the nation’s few research-intensive universities designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, or HSI, after fall enrollment numbers crossed the threshold for HSI status for the first time.

In 2019, the campus secured the federal government’s status as a Minority Serving Institution by being recognized as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, or AANAPISI.

A leader for other universities

UC Davis’ efforts toward creating a diverse and inclusive environment serve as a model for others. 

One example, a reference check policy, has functioned as a template to help prevent sexual harassment in science. During faculty hires at the assistant professor 4 level and above, UC Davis contacts the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the UC Davis’ Faculty Code of Conduct. In 2019, Philip Kass, vice provost of Academic Affairs, testified to Congress about the policy. In 2022, the plan was noted by the National Academies of Science, Medicine, and Engineering as a shining example.

Other UCs have also emulated UC Davis’ use of statements of contribution to diversity, equity and inclusion. Applicants for tenure-track faculty positions at UC Davis must submit statements outlining their contributions to promoting a diverse and inclusive environment, along with statements about their research and teaching contributions, letters of recommendation and other requirements.

“In the more than 10 years that UC Davis has dedicated to becoming a leading university in diversity, equity and inclusion, we have experienced profound and impactful positive changes on our campus while making substantial strides in recruiting and retaining faculty and students from underrepresented populations,” Mary Croughan, provost and executive vice chancellor, wrote in a letter of support for the silver SEA Change award. She called it “a significant honor to be recognized as a leader among our peers within the UC system” and elsewhere.

The next 5 years

Just as UC Davis evaluated its progress after earning the bronze SEA Change award, goals are already being laid out for the university’s time as a silver award-holder. Namely, the university plans to continue to reduce salary inequities, increase faculty retention, improve department climate and more.

Starting next year, more departments will be trained in the use of the DEI Blueprint tool. A planned campus website also will serve as a repository of awards related to campus efforts advancing diversity, equity and inclusion goals. And, staff members will continue to track and analyze salary and advancement data.