SUBJECT:

Establishment of the UCSD Diversity Council

Last spring, in my address to the UCSD community on the state of
diversity, I promised that I would form a Diversity Council to advise
me on institutional access and representation, campus climate and
intergroup relations, education and scholarship, and institutional
transformation. I am pleased to announce the formation of the Diversity
Council, which will have eighteen members, plus a chair, and will be
assisted in its work by a number of consultants.

I want to thank the UCSD community for its input on the formation of
the Diversity Council. The suggestions and feedback I have received
from committees, groups and individuals in the past few months have
been most helpful.

Dr. Herbert York, the founding chancellor of UCSD (1961-1964), has
agreed to serve as the Council's first chair. A professor emeritus of
physics, Dr. York participated in the Comprehensive Test Ban
negotiations in Geneva and founded the UC Institute on Global Conflict
and Cooperation. He has a long history of engagement with diversity
issues. In 1971, when he was serving a second time as chancellor, he
established the Chancellor's Affirmative Action Advisory Committee,
which the Diversity Council is now replacing. When he accepted the
appointment as Diversity Council chair, Dr. York said "I've always
believed that diversity was an important issue for the university, but
now I believe it has become more important than ever. I see taking on
this task as an opportunity to do something really meaningful for the
future of an institution I love."

The eighteen-member Council will be composed of ex-officio members, who
usually serve for one year, and at-large members appointed by the
Chancellor for a two-year term. The Council will meet at least quarterly,
and may create sub-committees that meet more frequently.

Ex-Officio Diversity Council Members:

Vice Chair of the Academic Senate -- Robert Parker (SIO)
Chair, Senate Affirmative Action Committee -- Karen Kavanagh
(Electrical and Computer Engineering)
President of the Associated Students, or designee --
Omid Ghaemmaghami (designee)
President of Graduate Student Association, or designee --
Sonya R. Summerour (designee)
Chair, Student Affirmative Action Committee -- Annette Green

At-Large Diversity Council Members:

Chair of an academic department -- Jeffrey Elman (Cognitive Science)
Three at-large members of the faculty -- David Gutierrez (History),
Deborah Wingard (Family and Preventive Medicine),
Linda Olson (Radiation)
Three at-large members of the student body --
Alex Sario, Natalie Davis, Laura Baraclough
Business administrator from an academic department --
Lourdes Guardiano-Durkin (Teacher Education Program)
Five at-large staff members --
Catherine Joseph (Warren College),
Patrick Velasquez (OASIS),
Lindsay Calderon (Psychological and Counseling Services),
Tom Collins (SIO),
Richard Belmontez (EH&S/Medical Center)
Consultants:

Linda Williams, Assistant Chancellor
Ramon Gutierrez, Associate Chancellor
EEO/Staff Affirmative Action Officers, as appropriate

Council Staff: Irma Martinez (Chancellor's Office)

The Diversity Council's charge is as follows:

UCSD is committed to having a student body, faculty, and staff whose
diversity is rich and reflects the community we serve in San Diego and
the State of California. The drivers of this commitment will not depend
on legislative mandates and compliance measures, but rather on UCSD's
commitment to be strong, competitive with our peer institutions, and
responsive to our constituents.

Historically, the campus has successfully mobilized itself to achieve
critical objectives when it has brought together those responsible for
implementing change with those whose knowledge and expertise give them
insight about particular campus needs.

Following this model, the Diversity Council brings together faculty,
students, and staff, who will advise the Chancellor, in his role as
Chief Diversity Officer, and the Vice Chancellors in the following ways:

*Advise the Chancellor on the appropriate goals to which UC San Diego
should aspire in creating a diverse campus community and assess progress
toward achieving those goals.

*Identify those programs that can have the greatest positive impacts on
campus diversity and recommend how our resources might best be utilized
and coordinated to achieve the campus diversity goals.

*Identify the barriers to achieving greater diversity at UCSD and provide
recommendations on how we can overcome those barriers.

*Review annual reports and other data regarding the state of student,
faculty, and staff diversity and efforts to improve diversity at UCSD.

*Assess how the UCSD Principles of Community and related campus regulations
and policies are being applied and make recommendations on how to improve
the communication of the Principles to faculty, students, and staff.

*Act as a resource for the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, Directors, and
others for advice on programs and initiatives designed to improve UCSD's
diversity.

*Provide a forum for the discussion of diversity-related issues and ideas
and promote a campus dialogue about diversity by periodically convening
town meetings, establishing a web page, distributing minutes from meetings,
and other means as appropriate.

The Diversity Council will hold its first meeting before the end of this
quarter. Please join me in thanking its members for their willingness to
serve the UCSD community in this important way. And I thank all of you for
your continuing involvement in working toward our common goal of
strengthening and enriching UCSD through diversity.

Sincerely, Robert C. Dynes Chancellor