Staff and faculty gathered prior to the start of fall quarter to prepare to welcome students back to campus and attend a diversity, equity and inclusion workshop led by the CAFES Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee – meeting for the first time in the new Swanson Center of Effort Conference Hall, JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture.

The CAFES Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is a standing committee focused on diversity efforts and initiatives in the college led by Associate Dean Cath Kleier and co-chaired by Neal MacDougall and Bree Hugins. The committee serves as an advisory body to the Dean’s Office and develops diversity-related goals, strategies for achieving those goals, and methods for measuring progress.

The committee is meeting this week to debrief the workshop and evaluate the next steps. Workshop attendees showed very strong support for Strategic Priorities 1, 2, and 5, leading the committee to focus their efforts on those items first. To view the CAFES Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Action Plan, click here.

Strategic Priority 1: Develop a CAFES culture among students, staff and faculty that promotes inclusive excellence and an equity-minded community.

Strategic Priority 2: Create, retain, and sustain a more diverse community of students, staff and faculty that reflects and serves the diverse people of California.

Strategic Priority 3: Integrate a cohesive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the organizational structure of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

Strategic Priority 4: Develop a communication plan that incorporates diversity, equity, and inclusion goals within the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

Strategic Priority 5: Strengthen partnerships with diverse communities in the industry, government agencies, non-profits and community colleges.