Dozens of of TAs sit at tables / desks in a large classroom. At the front of the room are two screens with slides that say "Who is your community"

IDARE @Davis

Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism and Equity
(IDARE)

IDARE's focus is on supporting divisional DEI committees means that DEI practitioners and leaders are able to work together to take action on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals.  IDARE was launched in 2020 at UC Davis Health under the leadership of the Office of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (DEI-HEDI).  The success of IDARE led us to launch this endeavor broadly across UC Davis in 2023.

Why DEI Committees? 

In a study of over 800 firms in the U.S., scholars found that when organizations created diversity managers and diversity task forces, they were able to make significantly more progress in improving DEI. Read the study. 

Accountability requires commitment and leadership.

The division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is responsible for implementation of the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision. We strive to fulfill this responsibility through partnership with other units on campus and by supporting accountability by regular reports on the university’s progress on implementing the 2017 strategic vision. 

IDARE committee chairs and co-chairs are invited to a quarterly meeting that equips and empowers them to work more effectively across their organization. IDARE committees then work to engage all DEI groups within their unit—at the department, unit, or constituency level. IDARE committees are also responsible for helping DEI document and report on strategic DEI investments, ongoing recommendations from campus stakeholders, and their school/college/unit’s progress on the goals of the UC Davis Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision.  

 

  • How did you select the “schools, colleges, and large administrative units” that are recommended to form an IDARE committee? 

  • For a large and complex campus such as UC Davis we needed to follow a structure that aligned with the organization and where we can bring people together groups that work effectively.  Although no system is perfect, we have identified large organizational units on the Davis campus that will serve as the backbone for our IDARE Community of Practice. We believe that we can capture most, if not all, of the departmental and unit-level DEI committees by connecting with resources among the units listed at the right. Because of the nature of a Community of Practice, we need to keep the groups manageable. However, we are still learning. If your organization is not on this list, but think you should be on it, please contact us.  
  • What will this work look like?
  • DEI also hopes to learn from these discussions how we can better equip organizations to do this important work, how we can empower them by galvanizing resources and ecosystems of support, and how we can elevate their accomplishments.  

    We will engage our IDARE committee chairs at quarterly half-day Community of Practice meetings. The participants will have opportunities to hear from campus and community experts on topics relevant to DEI work, and then they will have an opportunity to discuss, explore, and learn from each other on how to put ideas into practice. Over the course of the year, we will meet schools, colleges, and large administrative units where they are—helping them to organize or re-organize their DEI committees, refine their charge, and gather skills and resources. We will look at how DEI committees can assess where they are in relation to DEI through the use of campus-wide experience surveys and organizational reflection exercises. They will identify the best ways to identify and engage DEI practitioners in their organizations, including departmental and constituency-based committees, to communicate findings and gather further feedback. We will then work together to create IDARE action plans that operationalize the vision and the UC Davis Principles of Community.
     
  • What do you mean by a Community of Practice?
  • We see the IDARE Community of Practice as an opportunity for committee chairs to learn from each other by sharing their experiences, needs, and concerns in an honest and open space, with the goal of holding the campus to its shared vision for DEI. The size of the meetings is intended to support a strong commitment to the goals of the group, to enable deep conversation among DEI leaders, and generate agreed upon deliverables that advance campus-wide goals.  Because we anticipate members will be addressing difficult, controversial and even sensitive topics, we want to ensure that we create a space where trust abounds, where assumptions can be challenged, and where activities move us toward real institutional transformation. 
  • I'm not an IDARE chair, but I'm doing DEI work. What resources are available for someone like me?
  • DEI will also host an event at least once a year where we bring together all DEI practitioners.  UC Davis DEI practitioners may be members of our employee resource groups, our DEI-related Administrative Advisory Committees, DEI Committee members at any level, or any UC Davis faculty, staff, or student who has DEI as part of their role or job description. The event will be focused around professional learning and connecting people to each other and to those in our DEI division that can serve as a resource to you. 
  • We are one of the IDARE organizational units, but we don’t yet have a committee. How do we participate?
  • We recognize that DEI committees need to be formed with care, such that they are representative and don’t place unnecessary burdens on those who are already carrying a service burden. This is not always an easy process. We will meet all organizations where they are along this journey. We would simply ask that the unit send a liaison to the Community of Practice, and we will work with you to take the next steps.
  •  What is the history of IDARE? 
  • Founded at UC Davis Health in 2020, IDARE catalyzed a health system wide effort to advance the goals outlined in the UC Davis Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Vision. Learn more.

    Here is a timeline that reflects major milestones in our DEI planning process. 

    2014-2017 Chancellor Linda Katehi charges a committee to write a diversity strategic plan. After three years of deep engagement, the campus issues its vision.
    2017-2019 Following the publication of the plan, the campus learned more about the recommendations, and a first major step, the founding of the division and the hiring of the inaugural Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Renetta Garrison Tull, was initiated.
    2019-2021 A growing desire to participate and support the effort, especially to formalize how the campus held itself accountable to the DEI goals, emerged. UC Davis Health launches their IDARE initiative.
    2022-24 The launch of IDARE at UC Davis.
    2024-26 Through the IDARE initiative, UC Davis adds support for skills-building and additional tools to equip the IDARE and other DEI committees to create action plans and achieve their goals. 
     
  • How can our organization start to assess where we are with DEI? 
  • UC Davis and the UC system routinely survey various constituent groups to learn about their experience on our campus. These surveys offer opportunities to compare recent and historical data, conform to high standards of the treatment of data, and come with the ability for institutional research analysts to provide reporting at various organizational levels. We encourage units to start their search for insights in these surveys before initiating a new assessment. DEI, in partnership with Institutional Analysis, is happy to offer consultation on how to utilize these results effectively. 

    Undergraduate Students 
    UCUES (UC Undergraduate Experience Survey) 
    American College Health Association - National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA)  
    Graduate Students 
    UC Graduate Student Experience Survey (UCGSES)  
    UC Davis Graduate Program Review Survey  
    Alumni  
    UC Davis Alumni Survey 
    Faculty  
    Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey 
    Staff  
    Davis Campus Staff Experience Survey  
    CUCSA Staff Engagement Survey