Diversity in the University of California, Santa Barbara - Essay Example

In 2007, the University Of California Board Of Regents adopted a policy statement aimed at making the university achieve diversity among both the students and the human resource personnel in all its campuses including UCSB. This is in the form of Principles of Community statements and policies that control the behavior of both the staff and the students and each campus must inform the persons attending or working in it through any suitable mode including newspapers or through notices. The campuses including Santa Barbara must distribute and reaffirm their commitment to the policies and the principles as well as the initiatives to enhance the embracing of diversity within the campus. All campuses of the University of California including the campus at Santa Barbara encourage the setting up of a diverse workforce and student population as well as the diversification in faculty ranks. For example, the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program encourages students who pursue doctoral studies that are aimed at contributing to diversity are usually rewarded with more scholarships (The Facts: Diversity 2). All the campuses have centers that deal with the affairs of gays, lesbians, and transgender studies while most campuses including Santa Barbara have ethnic studies centers to embrace different communities of the student population.

At the University of California, Santa Barbara, there is a program to assist freshmen who come from underrepresented groups to meet their academic objectives as well as integrate properly within the campus. The UC Santa Barbara Chancellor’s Outreach Advisory Board formed the Committee on African American Academic Advancement whose mandate was to launch the UCSB African American Student Success Initiative. This initiative is aimed at providing all manner of logistical, material, or emotional support aimed at increasing the number of undergraduates of African American descent to enroll at UCSB and graduate within a span of five years. This is quite distinct and in contrast, to my hometown in China which is predominantly composed of native Chinese amongst the many institutions of higher learning present in China.

From the foregoing argument, it can be noted that though the diversity of Santa Barbara as a campus of the University of California may be low as compared to other campuses, there are strides made in realizing equality in many aspects of university life. Moreover, the University of California, Santa Barbara has continuously adhered to the principles of community, which promotes inclusivity and integration.