UC Davis - CCC&D -

Introduction: The five year Administrative Unit Review (AUR) report for the Office of the Vice Provost--Academic Personnel recommended a new senior leadership position that "…would serve as the principal campus spokesperson on issues of diversity and community." The AUR further states "The individual will work directly with the Chancellor and Provost to develop high-level plans and programs affecting the entire campus community." The Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors (CODVC) considered this proposal during their May business meeting and provided advice to Chancellor Vanderhoef and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Grey. The Campus Council on Community and Diversity (CCCD) also considered the proposal during its October meeting and provided advice to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Grey.

The proposal presented below has emerged as a direct result of the CODVC consultation, including suggestions from Vice Chancellors Carol Wall and Janet Hamilton that ask us to think more broadly about issues of diversity and community on the campus. They observe that the challenges associated with fostering community and maintaining a supportive campus climate will increase as the campus continues to grow, and that there are a number of factors and issues, in addition to the important matter of diversity, that are vital to the maintenance of a healthy campus community. They pointed out that we are not now capturing the attention of many in the campus community about the importance of developing our community in a way that invites and supports a diverse faculty, staff and student body.

They and others have suggested that perhaps we need a different approach. For example, "community" as a broader concept may more effectively serve as the vehicle for addressing campus climate and community issues, including diversity. The AUR focused primarily upon the Office of the Vice Provost and those issues of community and diversity that fall within the responsibilities of that office. As suggested by Wall and Hamilton, issues of community and diversity are broader, involving faculty, staff and students, hence their recommendation that we think more broadly about these issues and create a position that recognizes that breadth.

The initial consultation process resulted in the consideration of a possible portfolio for the senior leadership position that expands the responsibilities beyond those offered in the AUR report. The CODVC discussed such a proposal during its September business meeting. This document expands and refines the proposal in preparation for broader campus consultation.

The Proposal

Create a new senior leadership position that would give her/his full attention to campus community relations, including diversity, but also extend to other key matters that affect the quality of community life. The new position would report directly to the Chancellor and the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and would serve as a primary advisor on matters of campus community relations to deans, vice chancellors, vice provosts and other senior campus administrators. The title for the new position is proposed as Associate Executive Vice Chancellor for Campus Community Relations. The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor would have dedicated administrative staff support adequate to pursue initiatives and to effectively meet campus expectations of the position. The new position will also supervise the Diversity training function that presently reports to the Vice Provost--Academic Personnel.

The Need for the Position

Attention to community life is critically important if the campus is to maintain the values embodied in our "Principles of Community." Such attention is valuable in any circumstance, but is especially important for a community that is about to experience rapid growth in numbers of students, faculty and staff, and major turnover in faculty and staff due to retirements. The rate of growth is both an opportunity and a challenge. It presents a unique opportunity to achieve greater diversity among all segments of our campus community. But it also challenges each and every campus citizen to contribute to, and maintain, a campus climate that is welcoming, comfortable, and supportive for all campus community members.

The Davis campus will continue to face many additional community-related challenges. For example, the following quality-of-life issues also affect campus climate: an economic circumstance that compels many of our employees and students to live in communities other than Davis; increasingly difficult access to affordable, quality childcare; and the need to recapture the working relationships and civility among staff, faculty, administrators and students that have for decades been a source of great pride within our campus community.

Campus leadership has an abiding commitment to the improvement of campus climate, community and diversity and must seek effective ways to translate that commitment into action. The appointment of a person whose principal responsibilities is to think about these critically important matters every day, and who has direct access to the Chancellor and the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, sends a powerful message to the entire campus community.

How the Position will meet the needs

First and foremost, the campus must appoint the "right" person for this new senior leadership position. The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor will have to pursue her/his responsibilities with some level of flexibility because the specific responsibilities are much more difficult to describe than for most senior-level positions. The person selected for this leadership position must be keenly attuned to key issues of community and diversity and also be wise, credible, an articulate communicator and a talented listener. The person selected must be generally viewed as someone who can make things happen, and who can speak for the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and the Chancellor on matters of community. The AUR Committee recommended an Academic Senate faculty member for the position. The campus should make every effort to identify and recruit faculty members, but the position should be open to both faculty and staff to assure the strongest possible applicant pool. A nationwide recruitment should be conducted.

We would expect the individual to help the campus chart a course that will ensure attention to those components of our social environment that affect community, diversity and inclusiveness. To do so will require the collaboration of the campus leadership; the cooperation of campus units that now focus on recruitment, development and retention of staff and faculty; services that mediate differences between individuals and groups and programming units with a focus upon community and diversity; etc.

The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor would regularly attend meetings of the Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors, Council of Vice Chancellors and Council of Deans, and bring to those meetings agenda items that pertain to matters of campus community relations. The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor would serve as the Vice Chair (or co-chair?) of the Campus Council on Community and Diversity, and be responsible for setting the meeting agendas of that Council and for coordination and follow-up of the work of that Council.

High priority assignments for the new Senior Leadership Position

· Schedule meetings with the Chancellor and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for community/campus climate strategic planning prior to the beginning of each academic year and at least quarterly during the year. These meetings should include careful calendar planning to ensure the best possible use of the Chancellor's and the Provost's time in addressing community and diversity matters.

· Re-assess the campus consultation and advisory structure intended to promote community and diversity and make recommendations as needed to improve that structure. The assessment should carefully consider all existing committees/groups and their respective memberships, including those groups that discuss human resources, diversity, child care, transportation and parking, physical planning, disability, enterprise programs, etc. The objectives would be to achieve the structure that will most effectively promote community, facilitate diversity, assure inclusiveness and reduce/eliminate redundant efforts. The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor may recommend the creation of an action-oriented group that would facilitate regular interactions with designated representatives of deans, vice chancellors and vice provosts. However, this possibility must be evaluated within the context of existing groups including the Human Resources Council, the Affirmative Action Unit Coordinators and the recently formed "Senior Advisors" group.

· Working in collaboration with a broad and diverse cross-section of the campus community, the Associate Executive Vice Chancellor will develop for the campus a strategic plan, embodying our Principles of Community, to serve as our blueprint for the first decades of 21st century. This strategic plan must include not only a vision of the community we seek to establish, but also a means of creating such a community. In this regard, it would contain all of the elements of the comprehensive Diversity Action Plan, recommended by the AUR, including "…reasonable timeframes and based on clear goals and measurable, outcome-based objectives." This planning effort must take into account the campus academic plans and proceed in tandem with the campus Long Range Development Plan. The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor will have a significant role in: (1) coordinating plan implementation; (2) evaluating progress in implementing the plan; and (3) recommending plan improvements to the Chancellor and the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor.

· The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor should immediately establish a close working relationship and also serve as a resource to the deans and vice chancellors and vice provosts on matters of community, diversity and faculty recruitment. It will be particularly important for the new senior leader to work closely with the Vice Provost--Academic Personnel, the Associate Vice Chancellor--Human Resources and the Vice Chancellor--Student Affairs to develop and implement more effective strategies for achieving our diversity and community objectives. One mechanism that would facilitate regular strategic planning is the creation of an administrative coordinating council modeled after the academic administrative councils for Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences and the Social Sciences. These councils convene decision-makers on a regular basis. The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor would convene the council for the purpose of developing policies and procedures that will significantly affect issues related to community, diversity and affirmative action.

· Participate in the planning for housing, transportation, outdoor spaces, staff/faculty support services, employee benefits and human resources programs, and other important campus planning initiatives. The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor would assure that the campus climate and community-building perspectives are represented during these planning efforts.

· Establish and maintain effective interactions with appropriate city and county entities and focus in particular on strengthening the articulation points between the campus and local government. Engage civic leaders and community staff in meaningful dialogue on issues of community climate, especially as it relates to our growing diversity.

· Communicate with other UC campuses and other universities within California and across the nation to enhance and refine campus community and diversity efforts.

· Identify the best practices in other higher education and private sector settings to assure that UC Davis remains an attractive and competitive employer.

· Identify strategies that will motivate all levels of the organization to participate in community building. Give immediate and special attention to improving relations among faculty, staff, campus administrators and students.

Does this Proposal Meet the AUR Expectations? - The AUR Committee recommended a new position with a dual title: Associate Vice Provost for Diversity and Affirmative Action and Associate Chancellor for Diversity and Community.

· Expectation #1 - The AUR recommended that the Associate Chancellor "would serve as the principal campus spokesperson on issues of diversity and community. The individual will work directly with the Chancellor and the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor to develop high-level plans and programs affecting the entire campus community."

How the expectation is met - The above-described Associate Executive Vice Chancellor position meets this expectation. In fact, the proposed position is stronger given the person would report directly to the Chancellor and the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. However, the Chancellor should continue to be the principal campus spokesperson on matters of diversity and community. The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor's role would be that of principal advisor to the Chancellor and the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor with full authority to speak and act on their behalf on matters of diversity and community, including developing "…high-level plans and programs affecting the entire campus community."

· Expectation #2 - The AUR recommended Associate Vice Provost "will play a key role in integrating diversity issues into the mainstream recruitment activities of departments, and establishing collegial links with deans and chairs to implement the shared vision consistent with the Diversity Action Plan." The AUR suggested that an Academic Senate faculty member fill the position.

How the expectation is met - The Vice Provost--Academic Personnel must play the key role in working with the deans and department chairs during preparations for faculty recruitment efforts. Of course, the Vice Provost is an Academic Senate faculty member. The AUR report states very clearly and emphatically that, "the success of any model will depend upon the degree to which the Vice Provost--Academic Personnel can provide high-level attention to faculty and staff diversity efforts." The new positions authorized for the Office of the Vice Provost--Academic Personnel, including a new senior staff person as Assistant Vice Provost, should allow the Vice Provost to devote considerably more time to faculty recruitment. The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor for Campus Community Relations would also serve as a resource to the Vice Provost on matters of community, diversity and faculty recruitment. Further, the administrative council proposed above would assure direct participation in decision making on these matters.

· Expectation #3 - The AUR recommended that the combined senior leadership position should have "…authority to affect policy and resource allocation decisions that aim to increase diversity in faculty and staff ranks, maintain and/or improve campus climate and strengthen and promote understanding of the value of diversity through robust training and education programs."

How the expectation is met - The Associate Executive Vice Chancellor position, described in the above alternative, should have control of discretionary funds to plan, support and/or jointly sponsor programs that will improve and maintain campus climate and community. Further, this new senior advisor will influence policy and resource allocations through her/his direct and regular access to the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, the Chancellor, and the other members of the CODVC. The level of influence will be directly proportional to the incumbent's level of credibility and her/his successes in nurturing community.

· Expectation #4 - The AUR report recommends that, "transcending any proposed models, UC Davis immediately develop a comprehensive Diversity Action Plan."

How the expectation is met - The new senior position would take the lead to develop the comprehensive Diversity Action Plan within the context of the "Charter" described above.

· Expectation #5 - The AUR recommends, "…combining all of the diversity and affirmative action staff and programs into a single unit." The committee also recommended that these functions have, "…operational links to both the Assistant Vice Provost--Academic Personnel and the Associate Vice Chancellor--Human Resources."

How to address this expectation - This proposal does not combine the functions as recommended in the AUR. In this present proposal, the Affirmative Action compliance functions now reporting to the Vice Provost--Academic Personnel and the Staff Affirmative Action/EEO Office functions now reporting to the Associate Vice Chancellor--Human Resources would not report to the new Associate Executive Vice Chancellor position. Rather, these functions/units would either maintain their present, or similar, reporting relationships. Further review and consultation will occur over the Fall Quarter with the objective of announcing a final decision by January 15, 2001. Whatever the reporting relationships, the Associate Executive Vice Chancellor--Campus Community Relations will work closely with these units and other campus organizations and committees to facilitate communication and to bring about continuing improvement in the campus climate.