SUBJECT:

2016 Request for Proposals for the UC-HBCU Initiative

The Office of the President has announced the 2016 Request for Proposals for the UC-HBCU Initiative. As you may recall, this is a system-wide initiative designed to assist UC faculty interested in developing and encouraging efforts to achieve a more inclusive educational environment of excellence. The goal of the UC-HBCU Initiative is to increase the number of scholars from Historically Black Colleges and Universities enrolling in UC academic doctoral programs. UC faculty grants are available to support HBCU students conducting summer research with UC faculty at UC San Diego. Funds are also available to support departmental efforts to facilitate increased applications from HBCU scholars to UC graduate programs.

Beginning this cycle, Principal Investigators may include 1/9 summer salary to help support their efforts. If such funding is desired, the appropriate salary amount should be indicated on the project budget. As a commitment to faculty diversity work, the Executive Vice Chancellor has agreed to provide the summer salary support for any PI from our campus who has been awarded a UC-HBCU grant. If included in the project budget, the support will be provided for the duration of the grant. We hope this will facilitate the continuation of this important work.

We encourage you to submit a proposal for this important initiative. The Graduate Division stands ready to support you in proposal preparation, and in providing an infrastructure for your summer program. Proposals are due March 15, 2016 at 12:00 pm PT, and awards will be announced on June 6, 2016. Details on the call for proposals and a helpful PowerPoint tutorial for faculty who may be interested in applying can be found on the UC-HBCU website:
http://www.ucop.edu/uc-hbcu-initiative/faculty-grants/index.html

To hear from UC faculty who are currently involved with the UC-HBCU Initiative please view this short video on the UC-HBCU website:
http://www.ucop.edu/uc-hbcu-initiative/index.html.

At UC San Diego there have been four separate UC-HBCU grants awarded: UC San Diego/Howard University Partnership for Graduate Success (awarded to Garrison Cottrell, 2012); The Ocean as a Bridge to Enhance Participation in the Sciences, (awarded to Stuart Sandin, 2013); UC San Diego + Morehouse: Research and Graduate Admissions Pathway in Physics, (awarded to Adam Burgasser, 2013): and UC San Diego/Howard University Partnership for Graduate Success-Renewal, (awarded to Gentry Patrick, 2015) . As a result, this past year, 15 UC-HBCU students were hosted on the UC San Diego campus for summer research, and we are proud to note that two participants from Dr. Cottrell's 2012 HBCU initiative began their doctoral studies in the Division of Biological Sciences and Computer Science and Engineering in the Fall Quarter 2015.

The initiative is in direct support of Appointment and Promotion review and appraisal criteria as established in the Academic Personnel Manual: APM 210 -
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/committees/ucaad/apm210.pdf

This effort also supports the Diversity Statement, adopted as policy by the UC Regents in 2007. If you have further questions please contact Assistant Dean, Graduate Division, April Bjornsen (abjornsen@ucsd.edu).

Kim Barrett Dean of the Graduate Division Becky Petitt Vice Chancellor - Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion