2023-24 Vision Grant Awardees
DEI awarded 12 grants to 9 divisions, for a total of $59,646.00.
- Academic Affairs DEI Strategic Plan Establishment
- Unit Request - $4,700 - One time Funding
Host full-day DEI Strategic Planning retreat to create an Academic Affairs-specific DEI strategic plan that aligns with the campus’ DEI strategic Plan.
Goal is to engage in meaningful discussions and collaborative activities focused on advancing DEI initiatives
Funds will be allocated towards room rental, meals, materials, and the hire of a DEI consultant, Rich Shintaku, to facilitate the planning and implementation of the retreat and consultation as needed
Diversity and Inclusion Goals: Goal #3 – Advance a climate that fosters inclusion and excellence - Build Black Investigates Barriers to Black Student Success at UC Davis
- Unit Request - $5000.00 - One time Funding
Build Black is a social venture studio that engages Black UC Davis students to solve problems that matter to them. The first step is understanding and removing barriers to Black UC Davis students' success
Funds will be used to pay Black students to conduct interviews of Black UC Davis students.
The goals are: (1)Increase Black student engagement in Student Startup Center programming (2) Increase Black student retention (3) Advance equitable access to education that addresses the needs of California's diverse population (4) Conduct research that highlights areas of leverage in inequality of outcomes - Building Trust with Underserved Student Communities
- Unit Request - $5000.00 – Seed Funding
This project seeks to build trust among Student Health & Counseling Services (SHCS) and the various underserved student communities on campus by hiring a Student Liaison to engage with our Health Equity Committee
Literature demonstrates that student health and well-being indicators are positively correlated with retention, grade point average (GPA), and 4-year graduation rates. SHCS cannot meaningfully engage in effective health equity work without working alongside the students.
If funded, SHCS will work directly with each of the resource and retention centers on campus to recruit and engage the students selected for project components. (For the purposes of this proposal ‘resource and retention centers’ refers to the Community Resource and Retention Centers (CRRCs), Academic Retention Initiatives (ARIs), Student Disability Center, Student Veterans Center, and units serving International Students.)
Diversity and Inclusion Goals: GOAL 1: Identify, attract, retain, and graduate a diverse student body. GOAL 3: Advance a climate that fosters inclusion excellence. GOAL 4: Promote diversity and inclusion in research, teaching, public service, and training across campus and in neighboring communities. GOAL 5: Ensure accountability to diversity and inclusion efforts on campus and in serving neighboring communities. - Characterizing geographical inequity to promote the success of underrepresented students in higher education
- Unit Request - $4,954 – Seed Funding
This research study aims to investigate geographical inequity in California by identifying contributing factors, characterizing educational needs at a regional level, and analyzing the impact of geographical inequity on higher education outcomes.
By identifying underserved and under-resourced regions and characterizing their educational needs, this study can help the campus develop strategic outreach planning and targeted recruitment efforts and provide programs, continued support, and services that address the needs of students in these areas
We aim to investigate and quantify uneven distributions of resources, amenities, wealth, support services, and economic opportunities, as well as disparities in access to educational resources, which will allow us to better understand geographical inequity and its drivers. - College of Biological Sciences Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Initiative Grant
- Unit Request - $5,000– One time Funding
The College of Biological Sciences (CBS) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Initiative Grant was piloted in Fall 2022 to financially support graduate student initiatives promoting DEIJ, and reduce burnout and lack of continuity cause by the lack of financial support.
As of May 2023, this grant has distributed over $4000 in funds to 11 graduate student-led groups working to promote DEIJ and is expected to impact over 500 diverse community members (and total amount requested was $6,348).
We seek funding for AY 2023-2024 to continue the program’s success and expand the program’s reach during its second year by accepting applications from postdoctoral researchers and funding a larger number of programs. - Community Cultivation Awards
- Unit Request - $5,000– One time Funding
Funding to support Awards that (a) recognize graduate student community leaders within our department and (b) provide seed funding for their work to start or sustain communities within and beyond our department that foster community and professional development among members of groups historically marginalized in psychology and higher education
Provide graduate students with up-front funding to support meetings, workshops, social, and networking events instead of reimbursing students for out-of-pocket expenses.
Community Cultivation Awards would enable graduate students to plan for a greater variety networking events to build support, community, foster belonging, inclusion, professional development for marginalized group members.
Diversity and Inclusion Goals: Goal 1 - attract, retain, and graduate a diverse student body. Goal 3 - advancing a climate of inclusive excellence. - Inaugural UC Davis Global Affairs DEI Committee
- Unit Request - $5,000– One time Funding
Create a standing Global Affairs Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee that will execute strategic, actionable, and measurable objectives that focus on how Global Affairs can deepen its commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice thus contributing to fostering a more equitable and inclusive global engagement environment.
Some major challenges include: Lack of diversity and inclusion, cultural insensitivity and miscommunication, limited diversity in international programs, and unintended negative consequences of global engagement
The committee's focus will be on streamlined, standardized data collection and evaluation will enable evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement, allowing UC Davis to measure its DEI efforts and make informed adjustments. - Menstrual Accessibility Project
- Unit Request - $5,000– One time Funding
The Menstrual Product Accessibility Project will promote an inclusive environment for all identities by providing free menstrual products, such as menstrual pads, tampons, and cups.
With the Vision Grant funding, the ASUCD Pantry will: 1) supply the patrons of the Pantry with free menstrual products, 2) raise awareness on the intersectionality between gender and access to menstrual care products by hosting an educational event, and 3) incentivize participants of the event with small prizes and snacks for providing opinions about menstrual product accessibility and methods for future input in regards to menstrual inequity on campus.
The Pantry, a gender neutral and inclusive space, has practiced anonymous and autonomous menstrual product distribution, as patrons are able to gather menstrual products themselves without needing to record or interact with anyone regarding menstruation – which is important for AFAB queer peoples, non-binary, gender nonconforming, and men with trans experience. - National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) conference attendance
- Unit Request - $4992– One time Funding
The Academic Affairs DEI Committee will use this funding to send two members to the annual National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) conference, where they can learn from higher education leaders in the field, as well as take the knowledge gained back to Academic Affairs to promote DEI excellence within the workplace.
Funding will cover registration fees, travel expenses, accommodation and per diem for two attendees. Attendees will be able to gain exposure to innovative approaches in integrating DEI with personnel work as well as allowing our attendees to acquire new perspectives and establish valuable connections with peers across other institution - Reconnecting with Future Aggies
- Unit Request - $5000– Seed Funding
Seeks to promote the College of Engineering (COE) to prospective students from underrepresented minority (URM) populations at California high schools and community colleges as URM students are disproportionately underrepresented in COE at UC Davis.
This project seeks to implement an outreach strategy that: 1) increases knowledge about COE and UC Davis; 2) allows COE near-peers to share first-hand experience; and 3)catalyzes interest in STEM fields, by promoting the outstanding work of faculty/students in COE in the classroom, research labs, and student organizations.
Our goal is to establish a program to send current undergraduate students back to their high schools and California Community Colleges to talk about UC Davis and the College of Engineering.
Diversity and Inclusion Goals: Goal 1 - “Identify, attract, retain and graduate a diverse student body” as it targets students from MESA/STEM programs and schools with high URM populations. - Special Office of Research DEI Project Team
- Unit Request - $5000– One time funding
Proposes an Office of Research DEI Project Team to identity new ways to identify, attract and retain a diverse workforce by embedding diversity into all aspects of recruitment efforts, and establish consistent pipelines to reach prospective candidates who may fall outside of the normal channels of recruitment.
Work to ensure that all Office of Research employees can thrive, grow, and continue to make meaningful and valued contributions to the research enterprise.
Tasked to provide a fair, equitable and inclusive work environment that enables all employees to successfully contribute to its core mission. - Student-Led Writing Research & Assessment Project (WRAP): What Undergraduate Student Researchers Can Teach Faculty Across the Disciplines
- Unit Request - $5000– One time funding
The Student Assessment Researchers (StARs), have spent the last two years reviewing data intentionally collected from historically marginalized student populations (e.g. URM, First-Generation, Low SES, etc.) to deeply inform both equitable teaching practices and retention of diverse student groups at UC Davis, particularly as it relates to writing education.
The StARs funding ends this Spring 2023; funding from the Vision Grant will allow the current StARs team to reimagine themselves as the Student-Led Writing Research & Assessment Project (WRAP)
WRAP would a) fully analyze all the available data with equity in mind, b) develop workshops and materials for faculty in writing emphasis classes in order to inform the development of student-centered syllabi, assessments, and classroom materials, and c) continue to support current and future undergraduate researchers from underrepresented backgrounds.
Diversity and Inclusion Goals: Goal 1 - Identify, attract, retain and graduate a diverse student body