Fostering Inclusive Excellence: Strategies and Tools for Department Chairs and Deans

UCLA Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Dear Deans and Department Chairs:

For UCLA to succeed in attracting and retaining an excellent and diverse faculty, every department, school, and division must cultivate a climate of “inclusive excellence” — promoting opportunities for success and addressing sources of unfair treatment. In support of this goal, you are asked to participate in a new seminar for deans and chairs within the University of California, entitled, “Fostering Inclusive Excellence: Strategies and Tools for Department Chairs and Deans.” This program, sponsored by the UC Office of the President, will be presented on Thursday, April 2 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the California Room of the Faculty Center.

The program features a theatre performance developed by UCSD Theatre professor Emily Roxworthy that brings to life issues of subtle microaggressions and implicit bias occurring during a faculty meeting about a personnel case. Participants in the seminar will engage in group problem solving about issues depicted in the performance and develop ways to improve departmental climate. In addition to the theatre component, Daniel G. Solorzano, Associate Dean for Equity and Diversity, and Professor, Social Science & Comparative Education, UCLA will speak on microaggressions and their impact on departmental climate. Carole Goldberg, Vice Chancellor Academic Personnel, UCLA will address how contributions to diversity through research, teaching and service are valued in the advancement process.

I strongly encourage all deans and department chairs to participate in this innovative program which provides a unique forum for dialogue among colleagues on sensitive topics that impact our campus climate. For more information about the program and R.S.V.P. details, please refer to the attached announcement. We thank you for your ongoing effort to foster a climate of inclusive excellence at UCLA.

Sincerely,

Scott L. Waugh
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

FACULTY LEADERSHIP SEMINAR FOR DEANS AND DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

Departments with inclusive practices are more productive and more successful in recruiting and retaining an excellent and diverse faculty.  But how can chairs and deans intervene when seemingly biased or inappropriate comments are made in a personnel discussion?  Join this unique leadership training in how to intervene when colleagues engage in microaggressions or implicit bias.

• The format is an interactive theatre performance, developed by UCSD Theatre professor Emily Roxworthy, which realistically depicts a faculty meeting to evaluate a faculty personnel file.
• Participants learn to identify subtle microaggressions and implicit bias in faculty discussions that lead to an unfair assessment of the record.
• Participants learn practical strategies for how to put the meeting back on track.

The discussion will be facilitated by experts in academic climate, including Susan Carlson (Vice Provost, Academic Personnel and Programs, UCOP), Carole Goldberg (Vice Chancellor, Academic Personnel, UCLA), Emily Roxworthy (Vice Chair, Theatre and Dance, Associate Professor, Theatre, UC San Diego), Daniel G. Solorzano (Associate Dean for Equity and Diversity, Professor, Social Science & Comparative Education, UCLA), and Edith Ng (Systemwide Training Coordinator for Faculty Development, Academic Personnel and Programs, UCOP, Co-founder, Berkeley Interactive Theater).

LOGISTICS

The seminar will be held at the Faculty Center, California Room.  Registration and a continental breakfast will take place at 9:30 am, and the seminar will take place from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, with lunch provided at 11:45 am.

Please RSVP to Brandie Henderson at facdevelopment@conet.ucla.edu by March 19, 2015.

For additional information, please contact Susan Drange Lee at sdrangelee@conet.ucla.edu, Edith Ng at edith.ng@ucop.edu, (510)987-9028, or Amy K. Lee at amyk.lee@ucop.edu, (510) 987-9503.

Funded by the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) Initiative