Contributions*to*Diversity*******************************************************************************************************************
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Diversity!is!a!defining!feature!of!California's!past,!present,!and!future.!Increasing!
diversity!to!better!reflect!the!population!of!California!is!fundamental!to!UC’s!mission!as!
a!public!institution!and!imperative!to!achieving!its!full!potential.!
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According!to!the!UC!Diversity!Statement,!diversity!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,!socioeconomic!status,!and!geographic!
region,!and!more."!
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One!way!in!which!UC!Merced!supports!the!university’s!commitment!to!advance!diversity!and!equity!is!by!
promoting!best!practices!for!faculty!recruitment.!These!include!broadening!the!candidate!pool,!agreeing!on!
criteria!to!judge!all!applicants!before!the!search!begins,!guarding!against!biases!in!decision!making,!and!
treating!all!candidates!respectfully!and!equally.!
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At!UC!Merced,!we!believe!that!our!differences!—!of!race,!ethnicity,!gender,!religion,!sexual!orientation,!
socioeconomic!status,!abilities,!and!more!—!enhance!our!capacity!to!achieve!the!university’s!primary!mission!
of!research,!teaching!and!public!service.!UC!Merced!is!proud!to!serve!the!most!ethnically!and!culturally!
diverse!student!body!among!all!University!of!California!campuses.!In!the!fall!of!2014,!46%!of!our!
undergraduate!students!were!Latino,!25%!were!Asian,!6%!were!Black,!and!14%!were!White.!Because!of!our!
diverse!student!population!and!our!location!in!the!Central!Valley,!contributions!to!diversity!take!on!particular!
importance!at!UC!Merced.!
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University!policy!states!that!a!candidate's!race,!gender,!ethnicity!or!other!personal!characteristics!may!not!be!
considered!in!the!evaluation!of!academic!appointments.!However,!search!committees!can!consider!past!or!
proposed!contributions!to!diversity!as!part!of!the!overall!review!process.!
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What*is*the*purpose*of*the*Contributions*to*Diversity*Statement?*
According!to!University!of!California!Academic!Personnel!Policy!(APM),!to!preserve!and!foster!the!quality!of!
UC!as!one!of!the!nation’s!leading!public!institutions,!peer!review!committees!are!expected!to!evaluate!the!
contributions!of!all!faculty!in!view!of!the!critical!need!for!equity!and!excellence.!
UC!Merced!requires!that!faculty!candidates!submit!a!statement!on!their!past!contributions!to!diversity!and/or!
equity!and!future!plans!for!continuing!this!effort!as!part!of!their!application!for!an!academic!appointment.!
“In#addition#to#research,#teaching,#and#general#professional#and#public#service,#service#contributions#that#
promote#diversity#and#equal#opportunity#are#encouraged#and#given#recognition#in#the#evaluation#of#the#
candidate’s#qualifications.#Examples#include,#but#are#not#limited#to,#developing#strategies#for#the#educational#
or#professional#advancement#of#students#in#underrepresented#groups;#efforts#to#advance#equitable#access#and#
diversity#in#education;#and#activities#such#as#recruitment,#retention,#and#mentoring#or#advising#of#
underrepresented#students#or#new#faculty.”!\\!APM!210\1\d!
The!purpose!of!the!statement!is!to!identify!candidates!who!have!professional!skills,!experience,!and/or!
willingness!to!engage!in!activities!that!would!enhance!campus!diversity!and!equity!efforts.!!
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Are*there*any*Guidelines*for*Writing*a*Statement?*
The!Contributions!to!Diversity!Statement!should!describe!your!past!experience,!activities!and!future!plans!to!
advance!diversity,!equity!and!inclusion,!in!alignment!with!UC!Merced’s!mission!to!reflect!the!diversity!of!
California!and!to!meet!the!educational!needs!and!interests!of!its!diverse!population!of!students!in!the!Central!
Valley.!Some!faculty!candidates!may!not!have!substantial!past!activities.!If!that!is!the!case,!we!recommend!
focusing!on!future!plans!in!your!statement.!A!more!developed!and!substantial!plan!is!expected!for!senior!
candidates.!
Past!Experience:!!!
Describe!past!experiences!or!background!that!has!made!you!aware!of!challenges!faced!by!historically!
underrepresented!populations.!
Past*Activities:!
•! Mentoring#Activities:!If!you!mentored!students,!postdocs,!staff!or!faculty!from!underrepresented!
groups,!describe!the!specific!context!and!objective!of!the!mentoring,!including!your!personal!efforts.!
Include!details!that!may!be!relevant,!including!the!number!of!people!who!benefited,!duration,!and!
outcomes!(i.e.,!success!and!progress!of!mentees!during!and!after!mentoring,!including!employment,!
educational!success,!etc).!
•! Committee#Service:!If!you!served!on!a!committee!or!board!that!focused!on!diversity,!equity,!climate!
and/or!inclusion,!describe!the!committee’s!accomplishments!and!your!role!in!helping!achieve!them.!
Include!your!position!on!the!committee,!its!duration,!and!other!relevant!details.!
•! Research#Activities:!If!any!of!your!past!research!effort!specifically!contributed!to!diversity,!equity!and!
inclusion,!describe!the!work!and!any!impact!or!positive!outcomes!it!has!had!on!the!university!or!
broader!community.!
•! Other#Activities#(e.g.#recruitment/retention/teaching/community):!Describe!the!activity!and!its!context!
(e.g.!a!specific!conference!or!organization,!student!retention!or!outreach!activity,!course!development!
to!reach!a!specific!group,!outreach!to!a!local!school,!or!work!with!a!diversity\related!non\profit).!What!
was!your!role!and!personal!effort?!How!did!these!activities!relate!to!campus!needs?!
Planned*Activities:!
The!first!step!is!to!gather!information!on!activities!you!would!like!to!pursue!while!at!UC!Merced!and!how!they!
might!fit!into!the!research!area,!department,!campus,!or!national!context.!You!may!consider!but!are!not!
restricted!to!current!or!ongoing!campus!activities.!
For!each!proposed!activity,!describe!the!role!you!envision!having!and!what!you!would!like!to!accomplish!in!the!
next!two!to!five!years.!Who!would!you!like!to!engage!in!your!efforts,!and!how!would!you!plan!to!engage!
them?!Be!as!specific!as!possible,!but!realistic!in!terms!of!your!effort!and!time!commitment.!
Are*there*any*examples*and*resources?*
There!are!many!examples!of!activities!that!contribute!diversity!and!equity,!including,!but!not!limited!to,!the!
following:!
•! Service!that!increases!the!participation!of!historically!under\represented!groups!in!science,!
engineering,!arts,!humanities,!education,!social!sciences,!medicine,!management!and!other!fields.!This!
could!include!involvement!in!outreach,!tutoring,!or!other!programs!designed!to!remove!barriers!facing!
women,!minorities,!veterans,!people!with!disabilities!or!other!individuals!who!are!members!of!groups!
that!have!been!historically!excluded!from!higher!education.!
•! Teaching,!advising,!and/or!mentoring!of!students!who!are!under\represented!or!under\served!in!
higher!education.!
•! Development!or!use!of!pedagogies!that!address!different!learning!styles!and/or!learning!disabilities.!
•! Research!that!contributes!to!understanding!the!barriers!facing!women!and!under\represented!
minorities!in!higher!education!or!that!otherwise!contributes!to!diversity!and!equal!opportunity,!
including!artistic!expression!and!cultural!production!that!reflects!culturally!diverse!communities!or!
voices!under\represented!in!the!arts!and!humanities..!
How*are*Statements*Considered?*
Candidates!may!be!evaluated!on!their!past!and/or!planned!contributions!to!diversity!during!the!selection!
process.!The!search!committee,!Dean,!and!Academic!Senate!will!view!the!Contributions!to!Diversity!Statement!
in!combination!with!the!entire!application!file.!
Once!a!member!of!the!faculty!at!UC!Merced,!contributions!to!diversity!are!recognized!through!the!file!review!
process.!!
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