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. 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.

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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 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.

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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.

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

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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.

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