Dear Colleagues,
I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the wave of emotions we are all feeling. Our nation has been shaken by the tragic death of yet another unarmed Black man, George Floyd. This brutal event, followed by protests by those who are grieving, has now led to a level of violence that has been shocking to all of us. A great many of us are experiencing pain, fear, anger and hopelessness. Let me assure you, that the leaders of UC ANR, including myself, stand firmly by our values of diversity and inclusivity and denounce all forms of bigotry. To those within our community who have suffered from such bigotry, we stand with you and with everyone who stands against racism, racial profiling, police brutality and injustice.
I strongly support the statement released by President Napolitano and Regents' Chair John Perez on behalf on the UC system. Among other points, it recognizes that silence is complicity: “No matter how difficult, we must individually and collectively reflect on the lives lost unnecessarily, and address head on the systemic problems and challenges we all face as a society.” President Napolitano further stated that one of UC's bedrock principles is “…that all people are equal and deserve to be treated fairly and respectfully. We all deserve to live, work and go about our lives without fear."
Although we may feel hopeless and despair, we can be part of the solution. As stated in our UC ANR Principles of Community: “Members of the far-reaching UC ANR community have the right to work in an environment that promotes fairness, trust, respect, and physical and emotional safety and security.” Such principles are not just for the workplace, they need to extend to all interactions we have with others. Let's continue to take action and confront bigotry while striving to create the open and equitable society that we are all entitled to.
California's strength is its diversity; our UC ANR mission has always been to serve all segments of the state's population. I ask that everyone think proactively about how we can help our communities move forward. Whether you are helping small farmers reach new markets, preparing our youth to participate in civic engagement, helping limited-resource families access resources, or working on any of our many other wide-ranging programs, you truly make a difference in the lives of all Californians. You, the multi-talented ANR staff and academics, are responsible for that, and I deeply thank you for your work and dedication.
There is much work yet to do. The UC ANR Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Alliance is building institutional support for all UC ANR personnel to learn and contribute to these efforts. I hope you will join as well.
We care about every one of you. Please stay safe and be sure to care for yourself and your loved ones in this difficult time.
Best wishes and warmest regards,
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The University of California invites comments on a proposed Presidential Policy: Gender Recognition and Lived Name. It is proposed that the policy be fully implemented by UC campuses and locations by July 1, 2021, and it includes the following key issues:
- The University must provide three equally recognized gender options on university-issued documents and information systems — female, male and nonbinary.
- The University must provide an efficient process for students and employees to retroactively amend their gender designations and lived names on university-issued documents and in information systems.
The legal name of university students, employees, alumni and affiliates, if different than the individual's lived name, must be kept confidential and must not be published on documents or displayed in information systems that do not require a person's legal name.
The proposed policy is posted at 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 May 15, 2020. Please indicate “Gender Recognition and Lived Name” in the subject line.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
All UC ANR and UC ANR-affiliated academics and staff are invited to apply for funding to develop online resources targeting underserved audiences.
Extending UC ANR's reach and impact to significant numbers of non-English speaking audiences in California is key to achieving our vision of effecting positive change in important areas or issue(s). Reaching audiences through on-demand, online resources is one part of the strategy.
Funding is available to develop educational materials in languages other than English and make them accessible through the UC ANR website. Please consider development of a range of material forms including, but not limited to, courses, video, or other media.
All products must be branded UC ANR and hosted on the UC ANR website with linkages to other sites and resources.
Proposals of up to $25,000 will be considered. Multiple awards will be made. Please note that equipment purchases may not be included in budget requests.
Proposal submission process
To begin the submission process, log into the ANR portal. Go to “open systems” on the right menu and click on the link to “Develop Online Educational Resources Targeted at Underserved Audiences.”
Proposals must be received by 5 p.m. Pacific time on Jan. 28, 2019.
Strategic Initiative Leaders and the Strategic Initiative Panels will evaluate proposals. If additional expertise is needed, ad-hoc reviewers may be solicited. The following criteria will be used to determine funding decisions.
Proposal Criteria
Format. Proposals will be no more than 3 pages in length, minimum font size is 10-point and the minimum margin is 0.75 inches.
Proposals must include the following:
• Justification. What is the issue or important area addressed and who is the intended audience?
• Output. Give a brief description of the product to be developed and the method used to develop the product (e.g., will you include contracted services?). How will you ensure products are culturally relevant and applicable? Show how products will be delivered through UC ANR and how appropriate UC ANR branding will be assured?
• Expected Reach and Impact. What is the extent of the proposed reach and what behavior change(s) are expected? Which UC ANR Public Value Statements and Condition Changes will be positively impacted? How will some form of impact be assessed?
• Audience Access and Promotion. Clearly articulate the plan to promote the product so that it will be discoverable and adopted? What is the evidence that the targeted audience will access the product through the targeted medium?
• Team Capacity. Is there strong evidence that the PI and team can develop the intended product, on time and in budget? Is the appropriate expertise available within the team or as a contracted service?
• Budget. Is there clear need for the requested budget? Does a contractor (internal or external to UC ANR) provide estimates for any contracted services? Note: equipment purchases are not allowed in budget requests. You may submit your budget as a separate document if necessary.
Eligibility
All UC ANR and UC ANR-affiliated academics and staff are eligible to apply for funding.
Timeline
• Submissions due by Jan. 28, 2019, 5 p.m. Pacific time
• Successful applicants notified by Feb. 22, 2019
• Products completed and funds expended by Jan. 10, 2020
• Final reports (1 page) due by Feb. 28, 2020
Note on the funding source: The funds for this initiative come from those budgeted to further the impact of our Strategic Plan goals.
If you have questions about the application process, contact Jennifer Caron-Sale at (510) 987-0214 or Jennifer.Caron-Sale@ucop.edu.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) is seeking nominations for the National Experiment Station Section Diversity and Inclusion Award.
The award recognizes experiment station research initiatives that support the creation of diverse and inclusive efforts and is dedicated to individuals, teams or organizations that go beyond meeting equal employment opportunity/Affirmative Action program requirements.
To view or download nomination details, visit http://escop.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DCC_AWARDCALL_FINAL_2019.pdf.
The award comes with paid travel to the Annual ESS/SAES/ARD meeting, recognition with a commemorative plaque and a $1,000 cash award.
For questions about the nomination, contact Rick Rhodes, executive vice chair, ESCOP Diversity Catalyst Committee, (rcrhodes@uri.edu or 401-874-2468). Submit nominations by 5 p.m. Pacific Time on March 29, 2019, to rcrhodes@uri.edu.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
4-H Youth Development advisors Dorina Espinoza, Russell Hill, Fe Moncloa and Keith Nathaniel and 4-H associate director Shannon Horrillo have won the National Extension Diversity Award for systematically enhancing the intercultural competency of 4-H personnel and others in California. Moncloa and Hill accepted the National Extension Diversity Award on behalf of the UC ANR team on Sunday, Nov. 13, at the 129th Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.
The award, given by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Cooperative Extension System and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), honors the team for creating and using Intercultural Development Inventory© to shift organizational culture. This shift includes mutual respect, acceptance, teamwork and productivity among diverse people.
To meet the needs of a culturally and ethnically diverse youth population in California, they created a professional-development intervention for 4-H academics and staff. The Intercultural Development Inventory© is a cross-culturally generalizable, valid and reliable assessment of intercultural competence. Calling themselves the Intercultural Development Inventory Qualified Administrators, they applied the strategy over three years, providing 176 hours of intercultural communication feedback sessions, learning communities and regional conferences to enhance the intercultural competence of 65 4-H personnel.
Evaluations demonstrated that after the intervention UC 4-H Youth Development Program personnel had acquired skills and characteristics to become more culturally competent. The program has moved from focusing on similarities across diverse people that can mask deeper recognition of cultural differences to recognizing the complexity of dimensions of diversity.
The action plan and resulting positive change provides the potential to improve hiring and professional development nationwide by replication in other states. A summary of California's IDI professional development activities can be found in the National 4-H Latino Youth Outreach: Best Practices Toolkit, Professional Development.
