Diversity: Opportunities for Faculty

Serve as a divisional representative on one of these campuswide committees:

Undergraduate Recruitment, Admissions and Yield Committee (URAY) - chaired by Sandra Daley, Associate Chancellor for Diversity. Under the auspices of the UCSD Diversity Council, URAY focuses on undergraduate recruitment and yield efforts, obtains information about admissions policies and procedures, expresses concerns and identifies barriers in the admissions process, and directs findings to the Diversity Council for consideration.

URAY meets regularly to share information, coordinate activities, and collect and review data on the effectiveness of activities. It makes recommendations to the Diversity Council and identifies and implements strategies that result in increasing the diversity of undergraduate students enrolled at UC San Diego.

Interested? E-mail the Diversity Council.

Graduate Recruitment, Admissions and Yield Committee (GRAY) - chaired by April Bjornsen, Assistant Dean in the Office of Graduate Studies. GRAY focuses on graduate recruitment and yield efforts, obtains information about admissions policies and procedures, expresses concerns and identifies barriers in the admissions process, and directs findings to the UCSD Diversity Council for consideration.

GRAY meets regularly to share information, coordinate activities, and collect and review data on the effectiveness of activities. It makes recommendations to the Diversity Council and to the Dean of Graduate Studies and identifies and implements strategies that result in increasing the diversity of undergraduate students enrolled at UC San Diego

Interested? E-mail the Diversity Council.

UCSD Diversity Council
The Diversity Council advises the chancellor on diversity with emphasis on institutional access and representation, campus climate and intergroup relations, education, scholarship, and institutional transformation.

Interested? E-mail the Diversity Council.

Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women
The Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (CSW) was formed in 1987 and is comprised of UCSD faculty, student and staff representatives appointed by the Chancellor.

Interested? Contact Co-chair Susan Marx.

Participate in Divisional Outreach And Recruitment Activities:

• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
• Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)

Participate in Divisional Student Programs:

• Transfer Opportunities for Success (TOpS) program - addresses the specific needs of transfer students.

Be a Mentor:

Mentor to an undergraduate researcher in your lab. You can apply for funding at the following foundations:

• NIH supplements

  NIH specifically offers Diversity Supplements for minorities and those with disabilities or disadvantaged backgrounds. Supplements are competitive and any PI (with an R01, etc.) can apply long as the supplement is within the scope of the overall research.  Students (high school, undergraduate, and graduate), postdocs and faculty are eligible but each parent grant can only have one supplement at a time. 

  Non-UCSD students also are eligible. There are no specific deadlines for these supplements (although program officers will sometimes advise PIs to submit by a certain date to increase their chances) and awards are generally made within 6 months.

• National Science Foundation

  NSF offers REU supplements that are specifically for undergrads for PIs with new or existing NSF grants.  The REU supplements are competitive and must also be within the overall scope of the parent grant.

  REU requests do not have a specific deadline for submission and NSF generally makes awards within 6 months.  These awards may not be limited to proposals with underrepresented populations but PIs are strongly encouraged to recruit from those groups.  Non-UCSD students also are eligible.

  A request for an REU Supplement may be included within a proposal for a new or renewal NSF grant or cooperative agreement or as a supplement to an ongoing NSF-funded project. An REU Supplement request is handled by the NSF program officer for the underlying research grant.

Mentor an undergraduate summer research fellow and participate in any affiliated summer workshops that serve underrepresented students. There are plenty of summer research opportunities for undergraduates, including:

• UCSD MSTP Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
• Amgen Scholars
• UC LEADS
• STARS

Teach a course that satisfies the Academic Senate approved Diversity Equity and Inclusion Graduation Requirement (approved for 2011 incoming freshmen). Contact the Divisional Education Committee via the Director for Undergraduate Student and Instructional Services, Dana Brehm.

Academic Affairs has provided a searchable database of diversity opportunities for faculty. 

Participate in recruitment and workshop events for transfer students, many of whom tend to be underrepresented minorities.

• Summer Bridge
• Academic Transition
• Summer Transitional Enrichment Program (STEP)
• CC2U
• Example Programs through Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS)
• Serve as an advisor to the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
• Speak at the Annual UCSD Women’s Conference
• Give a research or career talk to students at campus community organizations such as Black Student Union, the LGBT Center, etc.

Participate in ongoing UCSD programs serving underrepresented groups or communities. See the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) for opportunities.

Participate in organizations or conferences that specifically target underrepresented students and can increase the number of these applicants for our graduate programs:

• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
• Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)
• McNair Scholars
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program
• American Indian Science and Engineering (AISES)
• California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education
• UC-LEADS Symposium
• Activities associated with UCSD’s Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) Diversity Initiatives and Diversity Outreach Collaboration

• Note: The Division actively participates in SACNAS, ABRCMS and in the CA Forum for Diversity events. If you are interested in contributing to these activities, contact Andy Lukosus in the Biological Sciences Graduate Instructional and Student Services Office.

• Organize a workshop for the UCSD AWIS chapter.
• Serve as chaperone or mentor at a Better Education for Women in Science and Engineering event.
• Present a talk or host an activity at a Family/Community Science Night activity at a K-12 school that serves a disproportionate number of underrepresented or economically disadvantaged students (e.g., an urban or rural school).
• Present a talk or host an activity at an organization that serves minority or economically disadvantaged students, such as MANA de San Diego and Elementary Institute of Science.
• Teach and mentor at educational institutions that serve underrepresented students or those with limited educational opportunities, such as UCSD's Preuss School. These activities can include:
  • Recruitment activities for community colleges and high schools
  • Talks at middle and high schools with large populations of underrepresented students
  • Mentoring and or judging at a local or state science fair
  • Becoming an advisor for a UCSD/NSF Socrates Scholar who teaches at a local high school
• Contributing to public service activities, committees, and boards that serve or benefit underrepresented students (e.g., serve on an Urban League board or committee, serve on a rural or urban K-12 school board, etc.)