October 18, 2024

Search for Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence

Campus Update

Interim Chancellor Hunt and Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Levine shared this message with the Bruin community:

Dear Bruin Community:

A search/advisory committee has been appointed and charged with identifying candidates for the recently announced Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence position.

Abel Valenzuela Jr., dean of the Division of Social Sciences and professor of labor studies, urban planning, and Chicana/o and Central American Studies, is chair of the committee. Other members are:

  • Kathleen Brown – professor of clinical radiology; interim vice dean for education; assistant dean for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  • Cheryl I. Harris – Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Professor in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, UCLA School of Law
  • Brandon S. Ito – assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; director of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, UCLA Tarjan Center
  • Lauren Lee McCarthy – professor of design | media arts and disability studies
  • David N. Myers – distinguished professor of history; Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History; director, UCLA Initiative to Study Hate; director, Bedari Kindness Institute
  • Ketema Paul – professor of integrative biology and physiology, and of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences
  • Suzanne L. Seplow – associate vice chancellor for student development and health
  • Daniel G. Solórzano – professor of social science and comparative education and of Chicana/o and Central American studies; director, Center for Critical Race Studies in Education
  • Shannon Speed – Paula Gunn Allen Chair and professor of American Indian studies, gender studies and anthropology; director, American Indian Studies Center; special advisor to the chancellor on Native American and indigenous affairs
  • Jorge Z. Torres – professor and vice chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Juliet A. Williams – professor of gender studies; chair, UCLA Social Science Interdepartmental Program; faculty co-lead, Mellon UCLA Data & Social Justice Initiative

To enhance the search effort, we have retained an executive search firm, Storbeck Search, represented by Holly Jackson.

As an important initial step in the search process, search/advisory committee members and consultants seek input from the UCLA community, and will host two listening sessions for students, staff and faculty on the following dates:

Note that registration is required. Please be sure to use your first and last name for your Zoom account when you register and join the sessions.

In advance of the listening sessions, you might wish to gather your thoughts on the following:

  • Key priorities for the vice provost for inclusive excellence
    What would you like to see the vice provost and/or UCLA accomplish related to equity, diversity and inclusion/inclusive excellence in the next five to 10 years?
  • Ideal qualities and qualifications for the position
    Specifically, what attributes and experience should we seek?
  • Unique and special opportunities associated with the vice provost role and the Office of Inclusive Excellence; and/or the role and importance of equity, diversity and inclusion/inclusive excellence at UCLA?
    In other words, how might we present the role and/or UCLA to candidates?

In addition, we would very much appreciate your circulating the announcement below, encouraging well-qualified colleagues to consider the opportunity and notifying the search/advisory committee of any individuals you feel are exceptionally well qualified for the position.

We expressly invite input and nominations via the online survey, by email to the committee’s confidential search address at VPIEsearch@conet.ucla.edu or by contacting Traci Considine, manager of executive recruitment in the Office of the Chancellor, at TConsidine@conet.ucla.edu. Inquiries and applications may also be sent to our search consultants at UCLAVPIE@storbecksearch.com. All correspondence will be held in strict confidence among committee members and consultants.

Thank you for your assistance and engagement in this search process.

Sincerely,

Darnell Hunt
Interim Chancellor

Michael S. Levine
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost


Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) invites inquiries, nominations and applications for the position of Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence (VP-IE). As UCLA’s chief diversity officer, the VP-IE serves as the senior UCLA official responsible for leading and coordinating the university’s efforts to build and nurture a diverse, inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of the Bruin community. Reflecting an understanding of inclusive excellence as fundamental to the educational mission of the university, the VP-IE facilitates an integrated vision and shared responsibility for fostering and affirming a campus culture based on our core values of excellence, diversity, equity and inclusion. The VP-IE serves as UCLA’s ambassador and advocate for inclusive excellence across UCLA and the UC system as well as with our local and regional communities, promoting initiatives and activities that foster a culture of engagement, learning and dialogue. With ample resources and authority, and through key collaborative partnerships, the VP-IE will lead UCLA’s Office of Inclusive Excellence (currently named the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion). The VP-IE’s broad areas of focus include high-level coordination of campuswide diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; campus climate issues; education and research; faculty recruitment and retention; strategic planning; training; community relations; policy development; communications; and fundraising.

The VP-IE advises and reports jointly to the UCLA chancellor and the executive vice chancellor and provost; serves on UCLA’s senior leadership cabinet and council of deans; and represents the campus to the community and to the University of California Office of the President, working with the chancellor, executive vice chancellor and provost, Academic Senate and other campus, systemwide and community leadership to ensure the coordination of efforts and the advancement of institutional diversity, equity and inclusion goals. In addition to leading UCLA’s Office of Inclusive Excellence, which also includes the Research & Bruin Engagement Office, the VP-IE coordinates and maintains communication with UCLA equity advisors and other unit-level EDI officers; works closely with special advisors to the chancellor (e.g., on Black life, Latina/o/x affairs, Native American & indigenous affairs), the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) director, and leadership of the campus’ Dialogue across Difference, Faculty Forward, Rising to the Challenge, and UCLA Native American and Pacific Islander Bruins Rising initiatives; and collaborates with the UCLA offices of civil rights, compliance, student affairs, human resources, legal affairs and other campus and systemwide partners. The VP-IE serves as an ex officio member of the Academic Senate Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and the VP-IE or a designee serves as a liaison to the UCLA Committee on Disability and the UCLA Committee on LGBTQ Affairs. The VP-IE also serves on the council of UC chief diversity officers as well as other standing and ad hoc UCLA and systemwide committees related to equity, diversity and inclusion.

The ideal candidate will be nationally and/or internationally recognized with demonstrated intellectual and ethical leadership as an innovator, convener, ambassador, collaborator and catalyst in mobilizing institutional and community stakeholders to promote equity, diversity and inclusion. Ideal qualifications include strong scholarly visibility in a field that supports at least one of the VP-IE’s primary responsibilities; substantial administrative experience, preferably at a research university; a record of success in facilitating effective partnerships; experience leading large-scale change projects within a complex organization; an ability to understand, navigate and implement frameworks, policies, laws and regulations; proven success in, or demonstrated aptitude for, external relations and communications often under fraught conditions; and credentials that merit appointment at the rank of full professor. The ideal candidate will further demonstrate empathy and real-world experience with the wide range of disciplines, interests and people represented at UCLA and show a deep appreciation for UCLA’s public mission; the ability to implement bold, creative and innovative initiatives; and the vision, emotional intelligence and humility to command the respect and involvement of UCLA’s diverse constituents and stakeholders.

With its 419-acre campus in Westwood and recent site acquisitions in Downtown L.A., South Bay and Westside, UCLA is enriched by the cultural diversity of the dynamic greater Los Angeles area, as well as the geographic advantages of Southern California. One of the world’s preeminent public research universities, UCLA is an international leader in breadth and quality of academic, research, health care, wellness, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs, with more than 6,567 faculty members who teach approximately 48,000 students in the UCLA College and 12 professional schools. UCLA is consistently ranked among the top institutions nationally for research funding, having generated nearly $1.6 billion in research grants and contracts in the last fiscal year alone.

Confidential review of applications, nominations and expressions of interest will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. Address nominations and inquiries to our Storbeck Search | DSG consultants at UCLAVPIE@storbecksearch.com. To be ensured full consideration, please submit a letter of interest, diversity statement and curriculum vitae via the Storbeck Search | DSG Talent Profile portal by January 22, 2025.

The anticipated annual compensation range for this position is $320,000 – $440,000.  The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy – https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/DiscHarassAffirmAction.

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