Dear Campus Community,
We’re excited to connect with you to share updates since our last message in November, upcoming events and to celebrate our distinguished staff and faculty. As always, thank you for your continued engagement and deep commitment to supporting the campus’ Latinx-Thriving Institution Initiative.
April Town Hall - RSVP Today
The Spring 2022 Latinx Thriving Virtual Town Hall is scheduled for April 13, 2022 from 4:30 - 6:00 pm. We will engage alumni, current students and the Steering Committee co-chairs on what thriving means to them. We invite you to register and submit questions(link is external) online. You can find Town Hall information and updates online. We will be hosting at least one per semester to continue to co-create this initiative with you.
Virtual Fireside Chat with Dr. Gina Garcia
Join the UC Chicanx/Latinx Student Centers for a fireside chat with Dr. Gina Ann Garcia on Wednesday, April 6th from 12-1 p.m. Dr. Garcia, the leading expert on Hispanic Serving Institutional framework, will discuss what makes servingness and what solidarity looks like across racial and ethnic groups using her framework with the goal of equity and justice as outcomes. RSVP online here(link is external).
Steering Committee Membership
Thanks to all the members of the Berkeley community who nominated themselves or others to serve on the inaugural Latinx-Thriving Institution Initiative Steering Committee.
The Steering Committee membership list is available on the HSI website. We would like to thank the entire committee for their service to the institution in this instrumental and actionable way. A special thank you to Lisa García Bedolla, vice provost for graduate studies and dean of the Graduate Division, and Fabrizio Mejia, interim chief of staff and assistant vice chancellor of student success in Equity & Inclusion, for serving as the committee co-chairs.
Excelencia in Education Membership
Our campus has become a member of Excelencia in Education’s(link is external)Presidents for Latino Student Success(link is external) (P4LSS) Action network, which includes over 130 presidents and chancellors who have committed to make their colleges and universities learning environments where Latinx students thrive. We will leverage their collective expertise and resources, and articulated relationship with Excelencia, to accelerate Latinx student success in higher education. As a member of the P4LSS, we can participate in Excelencia's Technical Assistance institutes and apply for the Seal of Excelencia(link is external), a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment to intentionally SERVE Latinx students.
Felicidades to Our Exceptional Staff and Faculty
Congratulations to our exceptional staff and faculty members on their recent campus and systemwide recognition. Lupe Gallegos-Diaz was selected as a recipient of the Kevin McCauley Outstanding Staff Award(link is external), which recognizes University of California staff who are supportive and inclusive of staff, encourage equity, diversity, and inclusion, are forward-thinking, and do not compromise quality for fellow staff, students, or faculty. Professor G. Cristina Mora was presented with the Chancellor's Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence and Equity (CAAIEE)(link is external) for her outstanding contributions in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice (DEIBJ) through her research, teaching, and service to the community. Dr. Pablo Gonzalez was selected as a recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Teaching Award(link is external), the campus’s most prestigious honor for teaching. The award recognizes teaching that incites intellectual curiosity in students, engages them thoroughly in the enterprise of learning, and has a lifelong impact.
We are reminded of the incredibly talented and committed community members ready, willing and able to support these efforts. Advancing the Latinx-Thriving Institution Initiative is our collective responsibility. Thank you again for your engagement, service and feedback(link is external) as we work toward bringing this vision to fruition. We look forward to gathering online on April 13th at the Town Hall(link is external).
In partnership,
Dania Matos, JD (she/her/ella)
Vice Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion
Executive Sponsor and Co-Chair of the Latinx-Thriving Institution Initiative
Professor Kris Guitérrez (she/her/ella)
Co-chair of the HSI Task Force and of the Latinx-Thriving Institution Initiative