AA Action Plan

Academic Affairs-Action Oriented Programs, Activities, and Plan
2001-2002, 2002-2003

Affirmative Action Awareness and Training:
Academic Affairs engaged in a continuous effort in 2001/to promote awareness of UCSD’s EEO/AA policy. Under the leadership of the Senior Vice Chancellor, key administrators from Academic Affairs units met to advise and consult with staff on a number of EEO/AA issues.

The new Director of Staff HR for Academic Affairs established an HR Contact Group (AA-HRC). The objective of this group is to provide HR representatives from each department with information and training that will allow them to foster an environment that promotes the UCSD Principles of Community as well as general good business practices. In 2001/2002 this group met 8 times. Monthly training and information sessions are scheduled for 2002-2003. Among the sessions scheduled this year are: Sound Business Practices/Good Faith Efforts, Sensitizing the Workforce, Successful Selection Process and Strategies. HR directors and managers are scheduled to meet with the group to discuss affirmative action policies, issues, and strategies.

In late 2002, Director Hidalgo established an HR Advisory Group with Representatives from each academic division as well as representatives from major programs such as Library and Extension. This group will identify, develop, and implement strategies to effectively inform department administrators about issues pertaining to EEO/AA and diversity. The HR Advisory Group will meet quarterly to review relevant University policies and campus procedures, and to discuss strategies for implementing the Academic Affairs affirmative action program. Members will be asked to keep departments/units informed and up to date about the campus’ affirmative action program as a whole, and that of Academic Affairs in particular. A particular effort will be made to engage departments in brainstorming and problem solving in an effort to identify local strategies and to develop a sense of local empowerment.

Academic Affairs disseminates EEO/AA policy to its employees through the Academic Affairs HR website. Staff from the Divisional Deans’ and other senior administrators’ offices will discuss their commitment to equal opportunity and affirmative action at depart¬mental meetings. Staff in the Office of the SVCAA will work with representatives from Divisions, Schools, Colleges, Departments, Research Units, Library, Extended Studies & Public Programs, and Academic Business Officers to explore campus and system wide resources to leverage instructional materials in the EEO/AA arena.

Since 2001 we have had over 90 staff members from Academic Affairs units attend the Diversity Education Program offered through Staff Education. Departments are regularly encouraged to send their supervisors to diversity training to enable them to instruct their staff and faculty on EO/AA and diversity issues. Academic Affairs continues to support employee participation in career development classes and programs offered through staff education as well as outside training opportunities. Training is encouraged for all Academic Affairs employees including women, people of color, covered veterans, and people with disabilities. Last year 28 staff members from Academic Affairs were awarded SEOEP funds to assist them with tuition and book expenses for career development activities. This represents an 87% increase in SEOEP recipients from Academic Affairs in the one year.

The Senior Vice Chancellor demonstrates her support for diversity by nominating and presenting an award to the academic unit in her VC area that has been most proactive in their efforts to promote campus EEO/AA policies. This year the Division of Social Sciences-Dean’s Office was honored for implementing a comprehensive training and information program that included, department Chairmen, MSOs and division staff. Social Sciences initiated a number of activities including the creation of a new Staff Enrichment and Orientation Program. Management is encouraged to attend Diversity Training classes and the division has created a new mission statement based on the UCSD Principles of Community. Overall, Academic Affairs doubled the number of nominations for this award in 2002 and plans to continue marketing this program to departments and units. In 2003 an emphasis will be placed on identifying and recognizing Management Service Officers that exemplify the qualities of “Diversity Champion”. Divisions will be encouraged to actively promote this goal during the year.

Outreach, Recruitment and Career Development:
SVCAA continues to work closely with managers and supervisors to enhance their outreach and recruitment efforts, particularly in areas where underutilization is identified. Academic Affairs has supported the development of recruitment plans by divisions and depart¬ments outlining appropriate and consistent outreach methods for recruiting diverse applicants. Departments/units are encouraged to advertise job openings in a wide variety of journals and newspapers designed to reach out to the greatest number of qualified candidates, including women and people of color. During 2003, a set of best practices will be developed through discussions with departments and divisions.

In 2002, the departments and units increased their participation in many campus and University sponsored outreach and development activities. Academic Affairs departments and units participate in outreach activities on campus and in the community. Last March 24 representatives from Academic Affairs departments and units participated in a community outreach information fair. This constituted 55% of the total participants from UCSD. Last summer three Academic Affairs departments participated in the Summer Hire-A-Youth Program: Extension, Institute for Neural Computation, and Jacob School of Engineering. Furthermore, over 284 staff from 64 departments participated in UCSD Career Connection activities. Academic Affairs staff represented 38% of the participants attending the Management Skills Assessment Program at Lake Arrowhead last year; and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering currently has two staff members participating in internships as part of the Career Connection Program.

Workforce Statistics: The most recent report on the UCSD Career Workforce shows that Academic Affairs increased the percentage of People of Color from 30% to 31%. In absolute numbers Academic Affairs realized an increase of 68 People of Color within the PSS/MSP/ and SMG workforce. The greatest gains were made in the PSS program by Hispanic and Asian employees. As of October 2002, People of Color represent 33% of the PSS workforce. Also notable however is a 133% increase in Hispanic employees in the MSP program. In 2003 Academic Affairs will focus its recruitment efforts in areas with continuing underutilization, with emphasis on the Management and Senior Professional Program. Efforts will be made to promote internal recruitment and promotion opportunities for our employees. Academic Affairs will collaborate with Career Connections to develop an “MSO Trainingship” program. This program will utilize internal resources to develop and train staff members interested in pursuing a career as a Management Service Officer. The program will provide classroom training, mentors, and hands-on internship opportunities for participants. The emphasis will be on creating diverse pools of applicants who will have the skills to compete for MSO positions.

Selection:
Academic Affairs is committed to the assurance of fairness and nondiscrimination by closely monitoring the staff selection process for recruitments and promotions. Supervisors are encouraged to develop annual career plans with their employees with emphasis on helping all employees, including women and people of color, advance to higher level positions. A session on developing career plans for staff will be scheduled for the HR Contacts group.

To enhance the effectiveness of the selection process, the Office of the SVCAA strongly encourages divisions/units to make good faith efforts to diversify their job applicant pools. Academic Affairs will work closely with HR to develop training and informational sessions aimed at providing hiring supervisors with the tools and resources they need to diversify their staff and promote an environment consistent with the UCSD Principles of Community.

Working in collaboration with UCSD’s EO/SAA office, Employee Rehab, FSAP and other VC areas, Academic Affairs will begin a new training series this summer. The objective of this series is to provide a forum for HR contacts and hiring supervisors to receive information on various issues related to selection and retention of staff and the recruitment of a diverse workforce. In an effort to embrace diversity and the UCSD Principles of Community, topics such as understanding disabilities, dealing with chronic illness and age discrimination, discerning the characteristics of disparate workforce generations, and other EO/AA related issues will be presented in a format that allows for an open exchange of ideas and information. SVCAA continues to create and endorse training and development opportunities for the staff in order to promote a culture of tolerance, understanding, and equal opportunity for the UCSD community.