UC-HSI Doctoral Diversity Initiative

Launched in fall 2019, the UC-Hispanic Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative (UC-HSI DDI) aims to enhance faculty diversity and pathways to the professoriate for underrepresented students from California Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The UC-HSI DDI program includes two components—

  • Competitive grant awards to UC faculty/faculty administrators that will support short-term and long-term programs/projects to enhance and expand pathways to the professoriate for underrepresented minorities, with a goal to increase faculty diversity and inclusion at UC.
  • Funding to support graduate student preparation for the professoriate. Specifically, there are resources to help support a limited number of PhD students, who are California HSI alumni and have advanced to candidacy at UC, to foster their interest and preparation for the professoriate. Additional professional development outreach and support for underrepresented PhD students is also available to encourage and help equip them to consider careers in the professoriate.

California's population was 39% Hispanic, 37% White, 14% Asian, and 5% Black in 2017. Considering the ethnic diversity represented in California and the unique role and reach of UC’s research enterprise, it is vital for the University to implement intentional efforts designed to advance inclusion and equity while increasing diversity across all University communities. The UC-Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Doctoral Diversity Initiative (DDI) is part of UC’s strategic effort to enhance its faculty diversity by expanding pathways to the professoriate. Intentional, strategic efforts and opportunities designed to remove or address barriers facing underrepresented students that encourage, equip and support their success and equitable inclusion are critical to the University of California achieving inclusive excellence.

About Hispanic Serving Institutions

A Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) is defined as an institution of higher education that has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students. HSIs are eligible for certain grants from the U.S. Department of Education to assist with strengthening institutional programs, facilities, and services to expand the educational opportunities for Hispanic Americans and other underrepresented populations. In California alone, there are 107 HSIs—which is 35% of the U.S. total (302).