Overview
As of 2023, the Latinx Thriving Implementation Team has fulfilled and completed its one year term.
In response to recommendations from the HSI Task Force(PDF file)(link is external) to establish an HSI implementation plan that included the hiring of staff dedicated to the HSI initiative, the LTI Implementation Team was designed in collaboration with the Vice Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion (VCEI) and the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (VCSA) and was shared between the two divisions.
The LTI Implementation Team was responsible for advancing the campus-wide Latinx Thriving Initiatives and providing project management to conceive and These recommendations were passed on to the LTI Implementation Core Team to be worked on by members of the Implementation Committee once the membership would be finalized. Mid-Spring 2023, similarities were identified in the goals of the different Thriving Initiatives and the idea to restructure the way implementation happens to work toward shared/similar goals together as opposed to in silos per community came to fruition. The restructuring is currently taking place and a big focus for LTI this Spring 2024 is working with the Office for Undergraduate Admissions and different schools locally to help bring more Latinx students to UC Berkeley.
The LTI Implementation Team was comprised of the:
- LTI Implementation Core Team (Co-Chairs: Isela Pena-Rager, Yvette Flores and Staff to the committee: Mitzi Iniguez, Elisa Diana Huerta (Thriving Initiatives Council Convener & Team Lead), Liliana Iglesias (Interim LTI Staff Director)
- LTI Implementation Committee (Core Team + Workgroup Leads)
- LTI Implementation Workgroups (students, staff, faculty, and alumni)
Charge & Goals
The LTI Implementation Team was a campus-wide, cross-functional team composed of students, staff, faculty, and administrators with a vested interest in transforming UC Berkeley into a Latinx Thriving Institution and working toward achieving federal HSI designation by 2027. In collaboration with the VCEI, LTI Steering Committee, and the LTI Implementation Director, the LTI Implementation Team was charged with operationalizing the recommendations of the LTI Steering Committee and other key partners that move the campus towards a Latinx Thriving Institution.
Guided by the LTI Steering Committee and the LTI Implementation Director, the goals of the LTI Implementation Team were to:
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Convene as a committee to align members and recommendations by areas of expertise and collectively develop plans for implementing each of the recommendations prioritized by the LTI Steering Committee, beginning with the 12 Short-Term Recommendations(link is external);
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Convene constituents (i.e. students, staff, faculty, and alumni) to serve on ad hoc workgroups to identify steps, resources, and tracking mechanism(s) required to implement recommendations;
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Specifically, the Implementation Core Team will first select an Implementation Committee based on a theory of change. Next, the Committee will select and lead workgroups that address the twelve phase 1 recommendations that fall under four categories: (1) Outreach & Pipeline Development (2) Admissions, Enrollment & Matriculation (3) Socialization, (4) Faculty.
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Provide the LTI Steering Committee Co-Chairs and Implementation Director progress updates, including mitigating factors (i.e. resources, administrative barriers, recommendation clarification, etc.) to determine the best course of action to ensure progress;
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Work in alignment with the LTI Steering Committee Co-Chairs and the LTI Implementation Director to synthesize and incorporate stakeholder perspectives to advance recommendations as appropriate;
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Regularly communicate with the campus community about progress and solicit input on process;
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Participate in campus wide town hall meetings each semester;
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Participate in the hiring and onboarding of Latinx Thriving Initiative roles, including the Latinx Thriving Director, community engagement and implementation coordinators;
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Participate in Latinx Thriving socialization efforts across the various campus constituencies: faculty, staff, students, alumni and various committees