Aug 12, 2020
Dear Campus Community,
I am delighted to recognize the inaugural recipients of the UCI Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program. Aligned to the Inclusive Excellence Action Plan, the purpose of this certificate program is to equip students, faculty and staff to advance the pillars of Community, Thriving and Wellness. Each graduate completed the curriculum, including the required core course entitled UCI as a Minority Thriving University and an elective course on Community or Wellness. I want to encourage the campus community to view the zoom-enabled recognition ceremony here:
The 117 inaugural graduates broadly reflect the campus community: 21% faculty, 51% staff, 16% graduate students, and 11% undergraduates. In completing the 18-hour program, participants explored UCI from multiple perspectives and communities that make up our richly diverse campus. Each course meeting included a presentation by a content expert and experienced practitioner who facilitated conversations and outlined resources and tools to promote inclusion. The format of these meetings created a space for intentional listening and brave conversations about aligning the pillars of Community, Thriving and Wellness to the lived realities of all members of the campus community. In total, the graduates completed a total of 2,106 hours—a remarkable testament of intention, attention and attitude in building a culture of inclusive excellence.
In recognition of their dedication and commitment, all graduates of the Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program are eligible to submit proposals for up to $1,000 in competitive funding that advance at least one of the following OIE Action Plan goals:
- Create positive climate, promote belonging, combat intolerance and honor free speech
- Elevate minority thriving, educate and employ for diversity, advance equity, promote inclusion and recognize diversity as a competency
- Facilitate access, promote thriving, create a health culture and lead collaboration
For more information about the Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program, please consult the program webpage here.
In closing, I want to announce a new suite of courses that OIE will pilot this summer and fall on Anti-Blackness in the United States. They are: Black Protest Tradition, Structures and Mechanisms of De-Valuing Black People, and Allyship: Taking Action against the Oppression of Marginalized Communities. For more information and to enroll, please visit https://inclusion.uci.edu/inclusive-excellence-certificate-program/modules/.
Douglas M. Haynes, Ph.D. (Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his)
Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Chief Diversity Officer
Professor of History, Humanities