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 UCLA’s 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.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.
ABOUT UCLA
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. 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. As a land grant institution, UCLA acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, So. Channel Islands).
Chancellor-Designate Julio Frenk
In June 2024, Julio Frenk— then president of the University of Miami, former dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and former secretary of health of Mexico — was named UCLA’s seventh chancellor. He will begin as UCLA chancellor on January 1, 2025.
“At this crucial moment for higher education, returning to the public sector to lead one of the top research universities in the world — including one of the 10 largest academic health systems — is an exciting opportunity and a great honor for me,” said Chancellor-designate Frenk, in an interview following the announcement. “I look forward to adding my lifelong commitment to public service in education and health care to the vibrant, diverse and cosmopolitan community that is Los Angeles.”
Chancellor-designate Frenk brings to UCLA a wealth of experience at the highest levels of academia, a deep commitment to advancing human health and new ideas and perspectives that will position our university for growth and success in its second century.
Dr. Frenk’s distinguished career has included executive roles in both university and government settings. As president of the University of Miami since 2015, he has elevated the institution across nearly every dimension, achieving a turnaround of its academic health system; making advances in educational innovation, interdisciplinary research and the athletics enterprise; orchestrating a $2.5 billion fundraising campaign; and fostering a culture of greater inclusion and belonging. His work led to the university’s induction into the prestigious Association of American Universities in 2023.
Prior to becoming president of the University of Miami, Dr. Frenk served as dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health from 2009 until 2015, where he presided over an expansion of the school’s international reach, a reimagining of its mission to focus on four public health pillars and the renaming of the school following a historic $350 million endowment gift.
Dr. Frenk served as Mexico’s secretary of health from 2000 to 2006. In this role, he pursued a major reform of the nation’s healthcare system and introduced a national health insurance program that expanded coverage to more than 55 million previously uninsured people. Chancellor-designate Frenk holds a medical degree from the National University of Mexico as well as a Master of Public Health and a joint Ph.D. in Medical Care Organization and sociology from the University of Michigan.
Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt
Darnell Hunt currently serves as UCLA’s interim chancellor, overseeing the university’s three-part mission of education, research and service. He will lead UCLA until Chancellor-designate Frenk takes office on January 1, 2025. At that time, Dr. Hunt will return to his role as UCLA’s executive vice chancellor and provost, through which he is responsible for administering campus operations and the academic enterprise.
A celebrated scholar of race and media, Dr. Hunt is also well known for his longstanding commitment to high-quality public education, support of interdisciplinary research for the common good and vision for inclusive excellence. Since joining UCLA in 2001, Dr. Hunt has served as dean of the UCLA College’s Division of Social Sciences (2017–2022), chair of the Department of Sociology (2015–17) and director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies (2001–17). He currently holds faculty appointments in UCLA’s departments of sociology and African American studies.
Dr. Hunt has written extensively about issues related to race, media and culture, including four books and numerous articles for both scholarly journals and media outlets. For more than two decades, he has studied questions of access and diversity in the entertainment industry. From 2014 to 2022, he was the lead author of UCLA’s annual Hollywood Diversity Report, providing comprehensive analyses of the employment of women and people of color in front of and behind the camera in film and television. He also authored six installments of the Writers Guild of America’s Hollywood Writers Report between 2005 and 2016.
A sought-after expert and commentator on subjects tied to race and media, Dr. Hunt has spoken at events sponsored by the Federal Communications Commission, the United Nations, the Congressional Black Caucus, numerous colleges and universities and other organizations. He served as a member of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations Academic Advisory Board and as a staff researcher for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ hearings on the 1992 Los Angeles civil disturbances.
Dr. Hunt’s service to UCLA has included membership on the Chancellor’s Council on the Arts, the Campus IT Steering Committee, the Civic Engagement Task Force (chair) and the Faculty Forward Initiative Task Force. He has also served on the Committee on Diversity and Equal Opportunity, Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools (chair), Classroom Advisory Committee, the UC Board on Admissions and Relations with Schools, and the UC Press Board of Directors.
Dr. Hunt is a member of the American Sociological Association, the Association of Black Sociologists and the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. Prior to joining the faculty at UCLA, he served as a sociology professor at the University of Southern California from 1994 to 2001. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. in sociology from UCLA, an M.B.A. from Georgetown University and an A.B. in public relations from USC.
THE ROLE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE
The Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence serves as the chief diversity officer at the UCLA, providing campus-wide and broader community leadership to foster a culture in which all faculty, staff and students feel empowered to grow, thrive and contribute. The VP-IE also provides strategic advice and engagement on university matters as a member of UCLA’s senior leadership team. 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 campuswide, systemwide and community leadership, the VP-IE ensures 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; 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 and Equal Opportunity, 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 Office of Inclusive Excellence
With ample resources and authority, and through key collaborative partnerships, the VP-IE will lead and build UCLA’s Office of Inclusive Excellence as an evolution of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, which currently includes the following units and administrators:
- Office of the Vice Provost
- Chief of Staff;
- Faculty Forward Initiative Program Director;
- Executive Communications & Events Manager;
- Digital Design and Creative Lead;
- Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and the
- Special Faculty Advisor for Executive Search Education.
- Research & Bruin Engagement Office
- Director of Research & Bruin Engagement;
- Deputy Director of Research & Bruin Engagement;
- Director of Institutional Research;
- Director of Race & Equity;
- EDI Student Initiatives Lead;
- Program Coordinator, and the
- Senior Inclusion Strategist.
The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion was created in 2015 in response to concerns raised by faculty regarding persistent racial bias, discrimination, and intolerance at the university. The Office of Inclusive Excellence will continue the important work of advancing equity, diversity and inclusion with an expanded emphasis on research and programming to strengthen and support a healthy campus climate and foster a culture of engagement and learning across differences.
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
The Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence will contribute to the next exciting chapter in UCLA’s history by collaborating with UCLA’s administration, students, faculty, staff and other key stakeholders to create, support and sustain an environment reflecting UCLA’s core values of equity, diversity, inclusion and excellence. The VP-IE will rise to meet the following opportunities and challenges:
- Strategic Planning and Implementation
- Establish clear priorities, structure and campus presence for the Office of Inclusive Excellence, building upon the legacy of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Convene and collaborate with key stakeholders leading inclusive excellence efforts to support reach, success and innovation. In alignment with UCLA’s 2023-28 strategic plan, serve as a key thought leader and institutional voice and authority in advancing and integrating inclusive excellence into all facets of campus life.
- Research, Education, Assessment and Accountability
- Support and promote research, education, assessment and accountability for advancing inclusive excellence. Leveraging data, develop evidence-based interventions and best practices. Foster an environment in which accountability for inclusive excellence has a clear correlation to the university and unit’s overall success.
- Culture and Climate Enhancement
- Build, implement and fund strategies, programs and initiatives that foster a campus culture of belonging and inclusivity. With expertise in culture building, dialogue across difference, addressing specific challenging moments on campus and in the broader community and climate surveys, serve as a key contributor and thought leader helping all faculty, students and staff understand their role in creating a truly inclusive campus culture.
- Recruitment and Retention
- Support the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff and students from underrepresented populations. Actively work to increase faculty and staff hires from underrepresented backgrounds and support their successful ascension into leadership positions. Identify and help build strategies to address existing gaps across populations. Work closely with enrollment management and student affairs to attract underrepresented students and support them through graduation.
- Public Leadership
- Through campus and community engagement, policy development, communications, fundraising and advocacy, serve as a key thought leader, public voice and authority in advancing inclusive excellence across and beyond campus. Serve on campus, systemwide and national committees, task forces and working groups, playing a leadership role in the national dialogue around equity, diversity and inclusion.
DESIRED QUALITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS
UCLA seeks a leader with empathy and real-world experience across the wide range of disciplines, interests and people represented at UCLA; a deep appreciation for its 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.
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 possess 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.
In addition, the VP-IE will possess many of the following skills, qualifications and characteristics:
- research expertise in topics related to inclusive excellence, organizational climate, equity or an associated area;
- record of accomplishment in addressing disability community concerns, the needs of Indigenous populations, anti-racism and restorative justice;
- a deep understanding of shared governance in an academic setting;• experience at complex, large, public institutions;
- ability to lead effectively in a highly-decentralized setting;
- experience operationalizing strategic plans and meeting short- and long-term institutional goals;
- seasoned facilitator of difficult discussions, including but not limited to those pertaining to current events or controversial issues;
- exceptional communication skills; capability of working with myriad internal and external stakeholders;
- demonstrated success in implementing policies, procedures and practices that have resulted in diverse candidate pools, increased career progression for faculty and staff of color and retention of students from underrepresented backgrounds;
- ability to recruit, lead, develop and retain a high-performing team;
- relational trust and transparency;
- familiarity with an urban, city context and the impact of a city on a university; and
- interest and experience and/or aptitude to partner with development efforts.
SALARY AND COMPENSATION INFORMATION
This is a full-time position that will be performed on site in California. The anticipated annual compensation range for this position is $320,000 – $440,000. Information about medical and other employee benefits can be found here.
APPLICATION AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Confidential review of applications, nominations and expressions of interest will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. Nominations and inquiries should be submitted electronically as soon as possible to [email protected]. Candidates should submit materials via our Talent Profile before Wednesday, January 22, 2025, to ensure fullest consideration.
Please see the important note below about application materials, marked with an asterisk (*). Applications will be considered complete and will merit review only if they include the following:
- Curriculum Vitae;
- Letter of interest that addresses the agenda for leadership and the desired qualities and qualifications for the Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence; and
- A diversity, equity, and inclusion statement*
- *(Please save your letter of interest and diversity statement in a single .PDF file and upload it to the Talent Profile when prompted to upload your Cover Letter.)