Guidelines for Writing a Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As part of the application process, applicants seeking faculty positions at UC Davis are required to submit a statement about their past, present, and future contributions to promoting equity, inclusion, and diversity in their professional careers. You may have worked, for example, with members of communities or local organizations, in politics, or with university constituents such as students, staff, or faculty to further the goals of equity and inclusion. We respect and recognize such activities as consonant with our mission at UC Davis: to advance the human condition through improving the quality of life for all, using a framework that connects its land-grant history to a transformative vision for the 21st century.

In evaluating Statements of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, search committees often consider the applicant’s:

• Awareness of inequities and challenges faced by underrepresented minority students and faculty;
• Track record (commensurate to career stage) of activities that reduce barriers in education or research for underrepresented minority students and faculty;
• Vision and plans for how their work will continue to contribute to UC Davis’ mission to serve the needs of our diverse state and student population and create an inclusive campus

UC Davis shares the university’s commitment to excellence and equity in every facet of its mission. University policy governing faculty appointment and promotion states that contributions in all areas of faculty achievement that promote equal opportunity and diversity should be given due recognition in the academic personnel process, and they should be evaluated and credited in the same way as other faculty achievements. These contributions can include efforts to advance equitable access to education, public service that addresses the needs of California’s diverse population, or research in a scholar’s area of expertise that highlights inequalities.

There are many valuable ways that faculty at UC Davis have contributed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and exemplified the university's strategic plan To Boldly Go. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Commitment to using a faculty position to be a force of enlightenment and change by opening up opportunities to students who may have never known of the intellectual and life options that abound at our university.
• Creation of programs that provide access and establish a pipeline in disciplines for students in traditionally underrepresented groups.
• Enriching the classroom environment through providing exposure to new perspectives on cultures, beliefs, or practices, or the teaching of cultural humility or other aptitudes and skills to enhance the ability of our students to engage with inclusivity in a pluralistic society.
• Exposure to research opportunities for individuals historically excluded from disciplines on the basis of their gender or ethnic identity.
• Leadership in any capacity that tangibly promotes an environment where diversity is welcomed, fostered, and celebrated.
• Mentoring students from traditionally underrepresented groups and at-risk students to provide the guidance needed to help ensure their academic experience is a welcoming and positive one, to promote university resources when needed for retention, and to serve as transformative role models for those who may not yet understand their real potential in an academic environment.

• Outreach to members of student clubs, private organizations, or community groups whose mission includes service, education, or extending opportunity to disadvantaged people.
• Recognition of the challenges members of society face when they are members of underrepresented groups, people of color, or women; or because of their religious, ethnic, or gender identities or orientation.
• Service that promotes inclusion by striving to dismantle barriers to people historically excluded from the opportunities that all have a right to enjoy.
• Production of research that seeks to improve the lives of under-served communities or the promotion of knowledge or understanding through research and scholarship that sheds light on the experiences of oppressed or under-represented communities.

Through your own Statements of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion you can tell us how your past, present, and future activities have or will contribute to UC Davis’ mission of promoting equity and inclusion or have shaped your perspective on this issue. But don’t feel limited to that: if you have creative ideas for future activities that will contribute to the UC Davis’ “To Boldly Go” vision, please feel very welcome to share those as well, and specifically how and when you would like to implement them in our University environment.

Additional Resources

• UCOP – Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement
• UCOP - Evaluating Contributions to Diversity for Faculty Appointment and Promotion Under APM – 210