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C. Diversity: Full Version

This version of the Guide to Graduate: C. Diversity handbook has been made available for users who prefer to print or read it in its entirety.

C1. Graduate Council Statement: “Diversity in Graduate Student Recruitment and Selection” — Reissued February 1998

The University has moved into the post-affirmative action era as defined by Proposition 209. There is no doubt that the recruitment, selection, and support of graduate students has been and will continue to be affected by these new realities. However, the policies of the Graduate Council relating to student recruitment and selection, as formulated in 1985 and reaffirmed most recently in January 1996, remain unaltered, as do the assumptions upon which they are based. In particular, we believe that the educational experience is enhanced by a graduate student body that is heterogeneous with respect to economic circumstances, gender, and ethnicity, as three of many markers of diversity. A diverse student body also serves California’s future needs for a diverse body of academics and practitioners. To this end we reaffirm the following policies governing admission to graduate study at Berkeley.

  1. The Graduate Council encourages graduate programs on the Berkeley campus to maintain and enhance an active outreach program to recruit talented, qualified applicants with diverse characteristics from diverse backgrounds.
  2. The Graduate Council supports the use of multi-year fellowships and other sources of student support (GSIships and GSRships) to maintain and increase the diversity of the student body.
  3. The Graduate Council urges graduate program selection committees to weigh carefully a wide variety of quantitative and qualitative criteria in their selection of graduate students.
  4. Departments with less experience and success in recruiting and attracting a diversity of students should draw on the experience of other departments that have been successful in this area. A list of these departments should be obtained from the Dean of the Graduate Division or from the Chair of the Graduate Council.

 

C1.1 University of California Statement on Diversity

Adopted by the Assembly of the Academic Senate May 10, 2006
Endorsed by the President of the University of California June 30, 2006
Adopted by the Regents of the University of California, September 19, 2007

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/diversity/diversity.html

The diversity of the people of California has been the source of innovative ideas and creative accomplishments throughout the state’s history into the present. Diversity — a defining feature of California’s past, present, and future — refers to the variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. Such differences include race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and geographic region, and more.

Because the core mission of the University of California is to serve the interests of the State of California, it must seek to achieve diversity among its student bodies and among its employees. The State of California has a compelling interest in making sure that people from all backgrounds perceive that access to the University is possible for talented students, staff, and faculty from all groups. The knowledge that the University of California is open to qualified students from all groups, and thus serves all parts of the community equitably, helps sustain the social fabric of the State.

Diversity should also be integral to the University’s achievement of excellence. Diversity can enhance the ability of the University to accomplish its academic mission. Diversity aims to broaden and deepen both the educational experience and the scholarly environment, as students and faculty learn to interact effectively with each other, preparing them to participate in an increasingly complex and pluralistic society. Ideas, and practices based on those ideas, can be made richer by the process of being born and nurtured in a diverse community. The pluralistic university can model a process of proposing and testing ideas through respectful, civil communication. Educational excellence that truly incorporates diversity thus can promote mutual respect and make possible the full, effective use of the talents and abilities of all to foster innovation and train future leadership.

Therefore, the University of California renews its commitment to the full realization of its historic promise to recognize and nurture merit, talent, and achievement by supporting diversity and equal opportunity in its education, services, and administration, as well as research and creative activity. The University particularly acknowledges the acute need to remove barriers to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of talented students, faculty, and staff from historically excluded populations who are currently underrepresented.

C1.2 Faculty Equity Adviser

  1. To increase the enrollment and graduation of students in fields where they have been historically underrepresented or denied equal educational opportunity.
  2. To ensure equal educational opportunity for all students who have experienced economic, social, or educational disadvantages that may have interfered with their ability to demonstrate their academic potential.
  3. To promote a student body that is diverse with respect to points of view, culture, life experiences, socioeconomic backgrounds, and educational preparation.

Every department has a designated Faculty Equity Adviser who works to ensure that the goals of graduate diversity are met in each department. In accordance with the Chancellor’s goals to increase diversity, the role of the Faculty Equity Adviser is critical, but all Graduate Advisers should be aware of the importance of diversity and the ways in which they can assist their departments in implementing the goals of the program.

The Faculty Equity Adviser is responsible for developing, implementing, and reporting the departmental efforts to increase recruitment, progress to degree, and graduation of students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in graduate programs. The Faculty Equity Adviser also plays an active role to ensure that the department maintains an educational environment promoting equal educational opportunity for all students while increasing diversity. The Faculty Equity Adviser is also responsible for maintaining departmental programs, procedures, and records involving admission, retention, and funding that are targeted toward students from diverse social, educational, and economic backgrounds. Each year, the Faculty Equity Adviser should report on the success of the department’s diversity efforts and provide a plan for recruitment and retention activities.

To enhance these efforts, the Graduate Division and Division of Equity and Inclusion encourage interaction and cooperation with Divisional Diversity Coordinators and with the Graduate Diversity Program (GDP).

The Graduate Division considers the Faculty Equity Adviser to be the departmental liaison in all matters related to diversity recruitment and the promotion of diversity in graduate programs. The Faculty Equity Adviser must be a tenured member of the Berkeley faculty. To request an exception to this policy, the Department Chair may write to the Division of Equity and Inclusion (102 California Hall, #1500) with a full explanation and justification for the request.

As part of the duties of the Faculty Equity Adviser, the Graduate Council has required since 1999 the participation of Faculty Equity Advisers when underrepresented graduate students are being recommended for admission and fellowship support. Accordingly, all admission and fellowship recommendations for diversity applicants must be signed by the Faculty Equity Adviser as well as by the Head Graduate Adviser in each department. Per the Graduate Council’s 1986 decision, the Faculty Equity Adviser must be a member of the departmental admission committee (and also the fellowships committee, if it is separate from the admission committee). Revisions to APM 210 specify that efforts by faculty who participate in research, teaching and service with the objective of increasing diversity will now be counted toward tenure and promotion.

For assistance regarding the duties of the Faculty Equity Adviser, or other needs pertinent to graduate student diversity, please contact the Graduate Diversity Program office at 643-7550, or gdp@berkeley.edu

C1.3 Admission Options

• Redirection. If review of an application indicates that the background and interests of the applicant are better suited to another graduate program at Berkeley, the application may be redirected. The applicant should be informed of the reason for recommending redirection and be given two weeks to respond to the suggestion. The applicant must be given the opportunity to decline being considered by a program different from the one to which the original application was made. The file, however, may be forwarded immediately to the other department for review, with notification given to Graduate Admissions of the action taken, so that staff may update their files.

Applicants so identified must be given a review by the department to which the applicant was redirected.

• Additional slots. If a promising applicant who enhances the level of diversity is ranked slightly below the cutoff line for admission to your department, you may ask the cognizant Associate Dean for an additional slot. With proper justification of the ranking, your request may be approved.

Please share this information with the chair of your department. If you have further questions regarding these options or need assistance regarding admission of promising applicants who will enhance diversity, please call the Graduate Dean’s Office  (642-5472) or the Graduate Diversity Program (643-6010). If you have questions regarding admission procedures, please call the Graduate Admissions Office (642-7405).

C1.4 Graduate Student Retention

To ensure the success and retention of a diverse student body, the Graduate Division:

• Provides student advising. The Graduate Dean’s office and the Graduate Diversity Program (GDP) provide advising on graduate student life. GDP also produces a student list-serve and hosts receptions and professional development workshops throughout the year. For more information, contact GDP (643-6010, grad.diversity@berkeley.edu).

• Offers consultation, workshops, seminars, and receptions. The Graduate Division sponsors and/or provides funding for various retention-related activities, such as dissertation workshops, grant proposal writing, and networking receptions and seminars, including those conducted by the Graduate Assembly.

• Promotes improvements in financial support for underrepresented students. The Graduate Diversity Program and Divisional Diversity Directors support departmental efforts to seek federal and private funding sources on behalf of underrepresented students, or research grants that require a diversity outreach and retention component. For more information, contact GDP (643-6010, grad.diversity@berkeley.edu).

• Administers fellowships to continuing graduate students. The Graduate Division processes and administers several fellowships for continuing students including a number of diversity fellowships. For more information, contact Graduate Services: Fellowships (642-0672).

• Assesses retention data. The Graduate Division collects data and conducts research on retention patterns to plan retention activities accordingly. For more information, contact GDP (643-6010, grad.diversity@berkeley.edu).

C1.5 Recommended Departmental Retention Efforts

• Seek and obtain federal and private funding to provide fellowships and research assistantships to support a diverse student population through each stage of students’ academic careers. Adequate funding is critical to a student’s ability to complete a graduate program.

• Establish an effective communications network to disseminate departmental and University information (for example, fellowship deadlines) to all students.

• Provide social networking events for all students and faculty in your department (monthly receptions, weekly teas, etc.).

• Establish a procedure to monitor all students’ progress each semester or on an annual basis.

• Provide research opportunities.

• Establish an effective mentoring program within your department. Identify faculty and senior graduate students who understand and appreciate the unique difficulties that students from diverse backgrounds might face; ask them to serve as mentors to incoming students.

These recommendations by no means exhaust the list of creative retention efforts in which your department can involve itself. If you would like to discuss additional ideas for your department, please contact the Graduate Diversity Program at 643-6010, grad.diversity@berkeley.edu).

The GDP Program Director is available to assist students undergoing difficult issues pertinent to advancement and retention. All consultations are kept confidential.

C1.6 Financial Assistance

The University provides fellowship support to students of diverse backgrounds who will contribute to the level of diversity within their discipline or in the graduate community at large. Diversity fellowships are available at various stages of a graduate career to students who have shown strong academic achievement in the face of economic, social, and/or educational disadvantages.

Students requiring a letter supporting “proof of diversity” for a fellowship application, should contact GDP (643-6010, grad.diversity@berkeley.edu).

For information on diversity fellowships and other fellowship support, see “Diversity Fellowships” and “Fellowships” in the “Financial Assistance” chapter of this guide ( Section G1.3). The Graduate Diversity Program Director is happy to assist departments with fellowship questions regarding nomination clarifications and general assistance to enhance the procurement of student fellowships. Please contact GDP (643-6010, grad.diversity@berkeley.edu).

MEMO: Comprehensive Evaluation of Applicants for Graduate Admission (GRE Letter)

Office of the Dean
Graduate Division
University of California, Berkeley

 

To: Deans, Department and Group Chairs, Graduate Advisers, Chairs of Graduate Admission Committees, Equity Advisers, Graduate Student Affairs Officers

From:  Carlos Fernandez-Pello, Associate Dean of the Graduate Division; Gibor Basri, Vice Chancellor of Equity & Inclusion

Re:     Comprehensive Evaluation of Applicants for Graduate Admission

 

As a new admissions cycle begins, we commend those departments and admissions committees that have updated their graduate admissions procedures in the direction of a comprehensive review approach. Such an approach avoids over-reliance on GRE scores, especially in the preliminary stages of assessment, in determining a candidates worthiness for admission. Instead, comprehensive approaches infer an applicants potential for success from more reliable indicators such as the applicants general academic record and record of special achievement, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose and writing samples, research experience and drive to succeed, and his or her personal circumstances and goals.

The Graduate Council has discontinued requiring the use of GRE scores in assessing applications for graduate admission, allowing individual departments to determine the weight appropriate in using GRE scores. This accords with a number of studies that note the limitations of using GRE scores as predictors either positive or negative of success in graduate degree programs.  Indeed, the GRE board itself endorses comprehensive review: “Test scores should always be used along with other sources of information such as course grades, letters of recommendation, personal statements, samples of academic work or professional experience.” http://www.ets.org/gre/institutions/scores/guidelines/board_guidelines/index.html.

We encourage those programs in which GRE scores still figure prominently as a criterion in graduate admissions especially in the preliminary selection and de-selection of applicants to move toward comprehensive approaches to evaluation. We invite those departments presently unable to implement comprehensive evaluation to consider de-emphasizing GRE scores in favor of a relatively comprehensive review in those cases in which the applicants scores clearly contrast with other aspects of the academic profile considered for preliminary review.

Our experience strongly suggests that more comprehensive approaches to reviewing graduate applications bolster sound admissions standards and help Berkeley to recruit and retain a more diverse and predictably successful graduate student body, in turn sustaining our national and international reputation for academic excellence and diversity.

Please let us know if we can assist you in any way as you discuss and implement admissions criteria for the coming cycle.

 

Sincerely yours,

Carlos Fernandez-Pello, Associate Dean of the Graduate Division; Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Gibor Basri, Vice Chancellor of Equity and Inclusion; Professor of Astronomy