What is Diversity?
Diversity comes in many forms. In addition to ethnicity, gender, income, and sexual orientation; diversity comes from experience. Diverse experience may come from the path taken to acquire an education, or from participation in community outreach. These paths provide a diversity of experience, and develop character, which allows an individual to bring valuable new perspectives and insight. Diversity may also come from focusing research on underrepresented groups, growing understanding, awareness, and developing solutions to generate inclusivity in our community.
Diversity Policy
Excerpt from Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement:
The diversity of the people of California has been the source of innovative ideas and creative accomplishments throughout the state’s history into the present. Diversity – a defining feature of California’s past, present, and future – refers to the variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. Such differences include race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and geographic region, and more.
Diversity Guidelines
Excerpt from Guidelines for Addressing Race and Gender Equity in Academic Programs in Compliance with Proposition 209:
Introduction:
In September 2007, the University of California Board of Regents adopted a Diversity Statement calling on the University to "seek to achieve diversity among its student bodies and among its employees" and acknowledging "the acute need to remove barriers to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of talented students, faculty, and staff from historically excluded populations who are currently underrepresented." The Regents’ commitment reflects dual institutional goals of diversity as inclusive excellence and diversity as equal opportunity. Diversity and equal opportunity support an academic community that reflects a diverse range of interests, abilities, life experiences and worldviews that will enhance the exploration of ideas vital to our academic mission. Diversity and equal opportunity also support UC’s legitimacy as a public institution that serves our increasingly diverse state and nation, and fully utilizes the intellectual resources embedded in that diversity.