UC Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion named

University of California President Mark G. Yudof today (June 16) named 17 members of his Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion, which will work closely with a UC Board of Regents committee to address challenges in enhancing and sustaining a tolerant, inclusive environment on each of the university's 10 campuses.

The Advisory Council includes the presidents of the California NAACP and Skirball Cultural Center, the director of religious affairs for the Islamic Center of Southern California, a veteran civil rights activist now with the Four Freedoms Fund, the director of the Latino Center for Medical Education and Research, the legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the chair of the systemwide UC Academic Senate's University Committee on Affirmative Action and Diversity. The other 10 affiliated members named come from UC's 10 campuses and include student representatives.

The 18-member Council chaired by Yudof will identify, evaluate and share "promising practices" at other institutions across the state and nation, and monitor and evaluate the progress of each campus toward ensuring conditions that support the university's mission and provide equal opportunities for all UC students, faculty and staff.

Reflecting on the broad and diverse points of view represented by the members, Yudof said, "This council will bring us experience and reason — voices that will help enrich our campus climate so that every single member of the UC community feels welcome, comfortable and safe.

"The issues we examine and the resolutions we achieve with the council apply not only to the students. We want students, faculty, staff and the local communities around the campuses all to have the opportunity to participate in a nurturing and stimulating environment."

The appointment of the Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion follows a series of highly charged racial, religious and cultural incidents during the past year on several UC campuses.

Each appointed member, except for the student members, agreed to serve a three-year term ending June 30, 2013. Upon graduation, each student member will be replaced by another student.

The council will meet for the first time the afternoon of June 30 at the UC Office of the President and provide regular reports and updates to the Regents Ad Hoc Committee on Campus Climate, chaired by Regent Eddie Island.

Locally constituted Climate Councils on each campus will set metrics, monitor progress and report regularly to the systemwide Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion.

In addition to Yudof, members of the Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion are:

M. Ines Boechat
Chair, University Committee on Affirmative Action and Diversity, Systemwide Academic Senate Professor, Department of Radiological Sciences, UCLA

Henry Der
Senior Program Officer, Four Freedoms Fund

Katherine A. Flores
Director, Latino Center for Medical Education and Research, UCSF Fresno

Uri D. Herscher
President and CEO, Skirball Cultural Center

Alice A. Huffman
President, California NAACP

Imam Jihad Turk
Director of Religious Affairs, Islamic Center of Southern California