ANR Update

Update on DEI Advisory Council; End of regional stay-at-home orders

Update on DEI Advisory Council

This month I appointed 11 UC ANR employees to an initial two-year term as founding members of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Council for UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. The group began meeting to consider the Council's role and structure in November; this appointment is effective retroactively from November 1, 2020, through October 31, 2022. 

I am convening this advisory council to support DEI efforts that UC ANR staff and academics have undertaken to improve working environments within UC ANR, as well as to improve quality of life for marginalized populations living in the state of California. Diversity is one of our core values and developing an equitable and inclusive society is one of our Public Values. This Council is a commitment by UC ANR leadership to take division-wide action on the existence and impact of longstanding discrimination within our Division, as well as in our efforts throughout the state.

I am asking the founding members to recommend a formal Charter to document the objectives, organization and functions of the Council. While the initial appointment for founding members is two years, the intent is for members to have staggered appointments to allow for turnover and continuity. I ask that the Council work to develop the Charter and an agenda for an initial meeting with me, AVP Powers and AVP Tran by June 30, 2021. 

Council Members 

Elaine Lander 
Esther Mosase 
Fadzayi Mashiri 
Gail Feenstra 
Katherine Soule 
Keith Nathaniel 
Laura Snell 
LeChé McGill 
Mohammed Yagmour 
Ricardo Vela 
Ron Walker

 

End of regional stay-at-home orders

On Monday, the state ended the regional stay-at-home order, which means that each county will now revert back to following the four risk tiers for re-opening based on COVID-19 testing and case rates. Currently, all but four counties are in the most restrictive tier (Widespread / Purple), but over the next few weeks we may see some counties begin to open up more as the number of cases declines.

For UC ANR activities, this means that if local County Health Orders allow, standard COVID-19 safety protocols are in place, and you are ready, many of you may begin to gradually increase some in-person activities, including allowing some small (10 or fewer) outdoor meetings, programs or workshops. Indoor meetings, programs or workshops are not allowed until your county reaches the Substantial/Red risk tier.

Please refer to our safety protocols and guidance on the webpage for resuming in-person activities for more details. Safety Coordinators and Directors should also take this time to review and update their site-specific Location Safety Plan to reflect the current operations at their UC ANR location, volunteer programs, and field sites and share those plans and any changes with the staff who are working onsite.  

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

 

John Fox, executive director of Human Resources, to retire

Colleagues,

It is with bittersweet emotions that I announce John Fox's departure from the Division. Earlier this year, John informed me that he will be retiring, effective at the end of February, after more than 30 years of service to the University of California, the last five serving UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. There is no doubt that John's retirement is well deserved, though we will definitely miss his able and calm hands.

As you may know, John joined ANR as Executive Director – Human Resources in October 2015 after many years in the Office of President in various policy and leadership roles. I and the senior leadership of ANR have thoroughly enjoyed working with John these last five years, and I will always be grateful to him for taking on new responsibilities and important projects with me to improve the climate and well-being of the ANR communities. To highlight some of these important projects, we cannot overlook John's effort in implementing the multi-year CE Advisors and Staff compensation equity programs, designed to elevate ANR's compensation structures to more competitive levels. Most recently John played a critical role in implementing the ANR@work Survey, which gives ANR staff and academics an opportunity to give unfettered feedback and guidance to our leadership. Further, working directly with you and the leadership, John helped establish the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council for ANR (soon to be announced more widely). With that and much more, John's work will continue to help shape our culture in years to come.

I personally benefited every day from John's advice, dedication and strong work ethic.

As John transitions and starts a new chapter, I am happy to announce that Bethanie Brown will be appointed Interim Executive Director of Human Resources. Bethanie has been expertly leading the ANR HR Department in recent years and I am grateful to her for stepping up during this challenging interval. Additionally, Academic HR Manager Tina Jordan will assume new responsibilities including ANR's Learning and Development unit, and will also assume the responsibilities as ANR's Affirmation Action Compliance Officer. As the Director of Academic Personnel and AA compliance officer, Tina will represent ANR at all systemwide meetings and councils. Decisions to recruit for John's replacement and timing of same will be made later this year when we have more clarity as to budgetary conditions.

Please join me in thanking John and wishing him the best in his future endeavors. 

Best Regards,

Tu

Tu M. Tran
Associate Vice President

 

Employee comments sought on adding small businesses to Purchases of Goods and Services policy

The University of California Office of the President invites comments on a proposed revision to Presidential Policy UC-PS-20-0489-BUS-43 Purchases of Goods and Services; Supply Chain Management. The proposed revision is to include the Small Business First Program.

The Small Business First Program is designed to address the following:

• Support existing policy for awarding 25% Economically and Socially Responsible (EaSR) spend annually to small and diverse-owned businesses (see UC Sustainable Practices Policy)
• Take advantage of California Public Contract Code Section 10508.5 that allows the University to award purchase agreements valued up to $250,000 to a certified small business without being competitively bid, so long as the UC obtains price quotations from two or more certified small businesses
• Bring procurement practices further in line with the University's overall mission and values
• Strengthen the small business community, which is the engine of California's economy, given that 99.8% of California's businesses are small and employ 48.8% of California's private workforce. For every $100 spent at a small business, approximately $68 stays in California
• Prepare UC to lead the way in California's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn. Statewide, as of November 25, 2020, the number of small businesses decreased by 30.7% compared to January 2020. As the third largest employer in the state, UC supports 1 in 46 of all California jobs and contributes $32.8B annually to gross state product. Additional spend from UC could be the lifeline small businesses need to survive and thrive.

The Small Business First Program also includes the following:

• Exclusions for UC Health as well as Design & Construction
• Exemption for federally funded purchases

The proposed policy is posted here: https://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Administration/Business_Operations/Controller/Administrative_Policies_-_Business_Contracts/Policy_and_administrative_handbooks/ANR_Administrative_Handbook/Recent_Updates.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than April 15, 2021. Please indicate “BFB-BUS-43” in the subject line.

Director of Sierra Foothills REC

An internal search to fill the director position at Sierra Foothills REC was conducted during November-December 2020. Unfortunately, no applications were received. UCANR leadership and UC Livestock & Natural Resources academics are exploring options to provide sustained leadership for SFREC. In the meantime, SFREC enjoys the competent management of Dustin Flavell.

L. Mark Lagrimini
Vice Provost for Research and Extension

Harassment and Discrimination Assistance and Prevention Program now serving UC ANR

I'm pleased to announce a new partnership between UC ANR and the UC Davis Harassment and Discrimination Assistance and Prevention Program (HDAPP).  HDAPP supports the University's commitment to a harassment-free and discrimination-free work and learning environment. With our new agreement, HDAPP will serve members of the UC ANR community by:

• assisting individuals and ANR units to resolve conflicts and complaints related to harassment, discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual violence and hate and bias; and
• serving as the central office for receiving reports and maintaining records of these types of complaints.

HDAPP is available to receive complaints of harassment or discrimination against anyone affiliated with UC ANR. If you believe you or someone you know may be experiencing any of the complaint types, or if you have questions and want to consult, contact HDAPP. Options are available to report by phone or online, as well as anonymous reporting.

They are happy to speak with you about their process, your concerns, and support resources. They strongly believe in helping people make informed decisions about reporting, including where and how to report situations of concern. 

How to learn more  

We will introduce our HDAPP partners during the ANR Town Hall meeting on Thursday, Jan. 21 (2 p.m. – 3 p.m.). All are invited to join a Zoom session on Thursday, Feb. 4, 1:30 p.m.–3 p.m. During the Feb. 4 information session, members of the HDAPP team will describe how they handle common situations and answer questions.

You can find more information about HDAPP at hdapp.ucdavis.edu/about-us.

HDAPP contact information and links to other reporting options are available at   ucanr.edu/sites/DiscriminationSexual_Violence. 

If you have any questions about the HDAPP partnership, contact me at jsafox@ucanr.edu.

John Fox
Executive Director, ANR Human Resources

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