The AANAPISI designation gives UC Berkeley the opportunity to expand the support, resources, and services we offer to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AA & PI) people and communities across our campus by creating institutional infrastructures and inclusive cultures.
In March 2023, UC Berkeley filed an Institutional Exemption Application for Title III/Title V programs with the Department of Education. Title III/Title V programs include the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Program(link is external)(link is external) and the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) Program(link is external)(link is external). The Division of Equity and Inclusion led this work in partnership with the Berkeley Research Development Office. A partner in this work has also been the Asian American and Pacific Islander Standing Committee (AAPISC) which released a 2021 report titled "Twenty Years Later: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at UC Berkeley(PDF file)(link is external)(link is external)," that included several recommendations, one of which was the pursuit of AANAPISI designation for our campus.
In April 2023, the U.S. Department of Education notified our campus that our application was approved, granting UC Berkeley an AANAPISI designation and making it a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) for the first time. This development also brings us closer to achieving federal designation as an HSI institution since we will have waived all other requirements besides the threshold percentage of Latinx students on campus.
The University’s investment in pursuing the AANAPISI / MSI designation demonstrates its commitment to improving the educational experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AA & PI) students, and creating a more inclusive and equitable campus for all. With the possible support of competitive grant funds, UC Berkeley will increase its capacity to address the diverse and complex needs of AA & PI students, faculty, and staff in service to our whole campus community.
The Division of Equity & Inclusion and the Division of Research are partnering on campus-wide coordination of AANAPISI and MSI-related grant opportunities, working to inform faculty, staff, and students about relevant grant opportunities.
AANAPISI Executive Sponsors
- Dania Matos (she/her/ella), Vice Chancellor of Equity & Inclusion
- Kathy Yelick (she/her), Vice Chancellor of Research
AANAPISI Leadership & Coordinating Committee
- Elisa Diana Huerta (they/them), AANAPISI/MSI Principal Investigator; Associate Vice Chancellor, Centers for Educational Justice & Community Engagement
- Melisa Bautista (she/her), Director of Asian Pacific American Student Development (APASD), AANAPISI Grant Project Director
- Andrew Eppig (he/him), Director of Equity Data Initiatives
- Lisa Hirai Tsuchitani (she/her), Director of Engagement, AA & PI Thriving Initiatives
- Liliana Iglesias (she/her), Director of Organizational Transformation, Latinx Thriving Initiatives and Director, Undocumented Student Program
- Panos Vagenas (he/him), Deputy Director of Research Development
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
Inaugural Critical Southeast Asian American Studies Artist in Residence
Nyingv Jae Saechao, will be joining us on campus from October 9th - 10th. RSVP
Announcing: Critical Pacific Islander and Critical Southeast Asian American Studies Research Fellowships
We encourage applications for this year-long experience from UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in contributing to the growth, development, and advancement of Critical PI and Critical SEAA Studies to apply. Each year, four graduate studentsand four undergraduates will be awarded the Critical PI Research Fellowship and four graduate students and four undergraduates will be awarded the Critical SEAA Research Fellowship.
This fellowship is a collaboration between Asian American Research Center, Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, and Asian Pacific American Student Development.
