University of California, San Diego Launches Black Academic Excellence Initiative

ucsd-wordmarkThe University of California, San Diego has announced the launch of the Black Academic Excellence Institute. The goal of the initiative is to increase the number of Black students and faculty on campus and to make the campus environment more welcoming to African Americans. The latest U.S. Department of Education data shows that African Americans are just one percent of the 25,000-member undergraduate student body.

As one facet of the initiative, the university will seek funds for the privately administered Black Alumni Scholarship Fund so that more Black students can afford to enroll at the university. Academic support services on campus for underrepresented students have been enhanced.

becky-petittBecky Petitt, vice chancellor of equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University of California, San Diego, stated that “diversity improves the depth and breadth of the academic experience for the entire campus community. We believe strongly that black students and faculty — both groups that have been historically underrepresented at UC San Diego — can benefit from and add to UC San Diego’s rich teaching and learning environment.”

Dr. Petitt joined the staff at the university last year. Previously, she was associate vice president for diversity at Texas A&M University. Dr. Petitt is a graduate of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, and holds both a master’s and doctorate in education from Texas A&M University.

Below is a video announcing the initiative’s launch:

https://youtu.be/EPLrHHXQiyg&w=570

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

New Online Library for the Study of Philanthropy and Black Churches

The new Philanthropy and the Black Church digital collection of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, an organization founded by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, and the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, aims to provide resources for Black churches and other philanthropic institutions to partner together on strategic initiatives.

Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers

Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Establishes New Research Center to Address Segregation in Local Area

The new Center for Equity Practice and Planning Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee aims to study the history of racial segregation in the local area and advance racially equitable practices in urban planning.

Featured Jobs