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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Equity, diversity and inclusion are defining features of the school, UC San Diego and the entire University of California system. They are critical elements to a productive and innovative environment, and we embrace them all as sources of strength.

Our differences — of race, nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, socioeconomic status, abilities, experience and more — enhance our ability to achieve our core mission of public service, teaching and research. We welcome faculty, staff and students from all backgrounds and want everyone to feel respected and valued.

UC San Diego has many resources that support the recruitment and retention of historically underserved populations, deepen understanding and challenge misconceptions surrounding diversity, and develop proactive leaders who advocate for inclusion. GPS is proud to be a part of many of these initiatives.

Changemaker Campus

Our campus was recognized as a "Changemaker Campus" by Ashoka U. We equip our students to become the next generation of global leaders, channeling their passions to spark positive change in a wide range of disciplines.

Make a Change

GPS Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

The GPS Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee serves as a touchpoint for all equity and diversity issues and programming at GPS. Comprising faculty, students and staff, the Committee is focused on enhancing the GPS community through the lenses of access and success, climate and accountability.

GPS is committed to UC San Diego's Principles of Community, which recognize that achieving excellence in teaching, research and public service requires:

  1. Ensuring equitable treatment, access and opportunity for all applicants, students, staff and faculty;
  2. A student body, faculty and staff that reflects the diverse world our students will live and work in and the populations our research and public service seeks to impact; and
  3. A culture of inclusion in which students, faculty and staff are welcomed, and respected and valued for who they are as individuals and groups.

Acknowledging that our society has been shaped by biases based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, political beliefs and more, we are committed to building a community welcoming to and supportive of faculty, staff and students from all backgrounds.

To this end, we seek to promote awareness, understanding and tolerance among individuals and groups and strive to recruit, support and retain students, faculty and staff from groups historically underrepresented and underserved in higher education, policymaking and leadership. 

Students Devoted to Inclusion

GPS students organize themselves around important issues of diversity, working to build a welcoming climate for all at the school. A full list of student groups can be found here, and below we call out two in particular:

QuIPS
The mission of QuIPS is to foster community among queer and non-queer members of the School and raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people around the world, as well as professional development for queer students and allies.

Women Going Global
The mission of Women Going Global is to increase awareness and the development of women in future leadership roles within international professional and academic realms. The group offers an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and the greater San Diego community to exchange in discourse that promotes women’s issues on a global level.

Resources

Reporting Incidents

At GPS, we provide training to faculty and staff on ways to create an inclusive and positive learning environment for our entire community. However, if you have experienced an incident of bias or discrimination, we want to know.

Students – report to Nancy Gilson, Director of Degree Programs or Gordon McCord, Associate Dean

Staff – report to Meredith D'Angelo, Chris Jones, and/or Ruthie Pyles, Assistant Deans

Faculty – report to Caroline Freund, Dean

Individuals can also directly contact the campus Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD), which works to resolve complaints of discrimination and harassment through formal investigation or alternative resolution. In some cases, concerns submitted to GPS faculty or staff may be referred to OPHD for follow-up.

Read more diversity and inclusion stories → GPS News