A High Bar for Higher Ed

How can we make colleges and universities more accessible and more welcoming for an increasingly diverse population? It is a critical question at a time of rapidly changing demographics in California and increasing concern across the country about how to increase underrepresented students and faculty on campuses. Now, U.C. Berkeley has published a report documenting its proactive, sustained and integrated approach over the last decade to create a thriving and inclusive campus community.

The report, Catalysts for Change, tells the story of Cal’s launch of a wide array of programs and initiatives aimed at expanding pathways for college access and success for students from diverse backgrounds.  At the heart of the campus-wide efforts is the U.C. Berkeley Division of Equity & Inclusion, which the university launched in 2010 with support from the Haas, Jr. Fund. Among the programs and initiatives profiled in the report are: the Haas Center for a Fair and Inclusive Society, a center for interdisciplinary research on key diversity and equity issues; a center where undocumented students at Cal can find support without fear; and an initiative that supports campus-wide data analytics on diversity and inclusion and departmental strategic planning that addresses aspects of inclusion, climate and educational equity.

The report captures lessons from these and other initiatives with the goal of supporting other colleges and universities to broaden and strengthen their own diversity and inclusion programs.