UC Santa Cruz embarked on developing a new campuswide strategic plan—Leading the Change—during the 2022–23 academic year. Leading the Change is a shared vision that aligns with the university’s broad-based goals, including enhancing undergraduate and graduate student success, expanding research impact, fostering inclusivity, and improving operational efficiency, sustainability, and resilience.

Under the guidance of a steering committee, five committees comprised of diverse stakeholders each explored a specific thematic area central to the future of our campus. Among them was the Inclusive and Thriving Campus Community (ITCC) committee, co-chaired by Anju Reejhsinghani, Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer, and Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Dean of the Arts.

The ITCC committee acknowledged that excellence in research, scholarship and creative activities, teaching, and other related pursuits can only be achieved when the members of our campus community feel respected, valued, and welcomed. The committee was tasked with creating opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to discuss how the campus should approach improving the diversity, equity, and inclusivity as reflected in its overall climate over the next decade. The committee identified the following goals in the Leading the Change final report:

• Improve faculty and staff recruitment and review
• Inventory, integrate, and embed DEI into campus culture
• Develop DEI learning pathways and integrate accountability structures
• Addressing barriers to retention of marginalized faculty, staff, and students
• Support opportunities to connect members of the university and the broader community with each other

In Fall 2023, Leading the Change was officially launched and an implementation committee was named to oversee the implementation timeline and budgets. The implementation committee continues meeting regularly to ensure our ongoing accountability to the ambitious goals we’ve set for ourselves. Under VCDEI Reejhsinghani’s direction, the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is overseeing the effort to implement the majority of goals identified by the ITCC committee in collaboration with dedicated campus and community partners. It is truly an honor for us to be leading the change!