Welcome from Dean Estella Atekwana
Dear Colleagues,
Letters and Science is the largest college at UC Davis, and we are tremendously diverse in our backgrounds, cultures and life experiences. As scholars, we work in a broad range of disciplines and ways of thinking about the world. This incredible diversity strengthens and enriches every aspect of what we do.
We welcome you to engage with our Letters & Science Committee for Community and Inclusive Excellence as we expand the college's efforts to build and maintain a culturally diverse and globally conscious community that fosters inclusive excellence where all members and voices are valued, nurtured, supported and celebrated.
Our faculty are leading experts on diversity, culture, equity and social justice, and are a resource for each other and for our colleagues across campus. Our committee will create access to our faculty’s research and publications across disciplines that provide leading-edge best practices for advancing Inclusive Excellence among our faculty, staff and students.
We subscribe to the UC Davis Principles of Community and the Boldly Go campus strategic plan. We have recently crafted our own Strategic Vision “Greater Together for the Greater Good,” which is aligned with these linked visions, to define how we will promote and support our diversity within L&S and ensure a community where people from all backgrounds can thrive.
Strength through our diversity is one our defining characteristics in Letters & Science, and supporting this diversity is a critical investment in our future. Thank you for joining us in this work.
Estella Atekwana
Dean, UC Davis College of Letters and Science
Committee for Community & Inclusive Excellence
The College of Letters and Science Committee for Community and Inclusive Excellence advises the dean and academic leadership on targeted efforts and priorities to support community and Inclusive excellence related to faculty, staff and students. Members of the Committee serve a two-year term. The inaugural group began its work in fall 2023.
The committee is guided by the UC Davis Principles of Community and the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision. It also aligns with the UC Davis “To Boldly Go” strategic plan in embracing diversity, practicing inclusive excellence, striving for equity and supporting a culture that values the contributions and aspirations of all our students, staff and faculty.
The committee’s efforts will include:
- Input on strategic investments to enhance and promote inclusive excellence efforts in the college and conduct climate and engagement analysis to inform sustainable initiatives.
- Supporting the university-wide effort to develop and implement policies that enhance diversity on our campus and liaise with the UC Davis Office of Inclusive Excellence to identify and help implement best practices supporting diversity across the college.
- Working closely with the departments and college leadership to develop and expand programs for undergraduate and graduate student success and inclusion and to support and expand programs to recruit, retain and recognize diverse faculty, staff and students.
- Highlighting the unique contributions of L&S to the overarching culture of our campus.
We Welcome Your Comments!
The L&S Committee for Community and Inclusive Excellence welcomes your confidential comments, suggestions, and advice as we go about our work to enhance inclusion and belonging in the college and on campus.
Please submit your feedback here.
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