An Ethos of Respect and Inclusion

March 19, 2014

The University of California today is releasing the results of a systemwide survey of its students, faculty and staff. Conceived two years ago at a time of tumult on some campuses, it was intended to create a baseline of data that will help develop a deeper awareness of how members of the UC community relate to one another on a day-to-day basis.

As leaders of the University, its campuses and related enterprises, we embrace this effort. We believe it to be unprecedented in both breadth and depth. It is important to note, however, that this survey constitutes a starting point, not a finish line.

Going forward, the data will be analyzed in detail at each locale. This will allow us not only to reinforce what is working – and there is much in the data to celebrate – but also to address head-on what is not.

Our purpose is clear. We seek to create and nurture in every corner of the University – in lecture halls and laboratories, in dormitories and dining halls, in work cubicles and maintenance shops, in our hospitals and other outposts of community engagement, in the public commons and the virtual meeting grounds of social media – an ethos of respect for others and inclusion of all.

Such an ethos need not undermine the spirit of free speech and acceptance of differing ideas and attitudes that have long been the University’s hallmark. Rather, respect and inclusion form the essential bedrock on which to build a community that cherishes and benefits from robust, constructive discourse and daily interactions among all its members.

An ethos of respect and inclusion won’t be achieved by any single pledge or policy handed down from leadership. It requires the constant attention and the enduring commitment of the entire UC community – every student, every professor, every administrator, every staff member, everybody, every day. Let this survey stand as a step toward furthering that ideal.

Introduction from UC location leaders (pdf)

Study results and summaries of recent campus climate efforts at UC locations

Endnotes (pdf)