The University of California is changing its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, or EDI, Department into a new entity: the Office of Culture and Inclusive Excellence, known as the OCIE.
The change, which took effect last week at the UC Office of the President, or UCOP, according to a UC spokesperson, comes amid public battles between the UC system and President Donald Trump’s administration over diversity initiatives.This includes a demand issued by the Department of Justice to UCLA requiring that “unlawful DEI goals” be ended in exchange for $500 million of frozen federal research funding.
The spokesperson did not comment on whether the transition was related to federal pressures to dismantle EDI. Moreover, it is unclear how OCIE is substantively different from its previous iteration at this time, besides the name change.
The values of the office will remain the same; however, the transition reflects feedback on the EDI Department from a “broad range of stakeholders,”program director Lalitha Sankaran wrote in a UCOP press release, which included UCOP staff.
Sankaran,who has previously held the position of UCOP’s director of the Office of Workplace Inclusion and Belonging, will be leading the new office. She also led the EDI Department.
The office, however, will place a stronger emphasis on “organizational culture and inclusive excellence,” which UCOP believes will foster an atmosphere in which all employees can thrive through inclusive leadership.
“We believe all staff should feel respected and have a sense of belonging and purpose in their work at UCOP,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Daily Californian.
The transition comes in an uncertain year for the status of EDI programs throughout the UC system. Since January, the Trump administration has made efforts to undermine diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on the federal level through executive orders and the freezing of federal grants.In March, the UC system banned the use of diversity statements in hiring.
Earlier this year, the UCOP released an FAQ document regarding the future of diversity, equity and inclusion within the UC system. In the statement, the University of California reiterated its commitment to equal participation in education and confirmed that all EDI-related academic job titles would remain unchanged. However, it noted that staff employee titles may be updated “to reflect … our organizational mission.”
Currently, positions under the UC-wide Human Resources Strategy & EDI staff are listed as vacant on UCOP’s website. It is unclear whether these jobs will transition to the new OCIE department.
According to the new office’s website, the OCIE will build culture-related and inclusive excellence through employee belonging, inclusive leadership and organizational culture.
“By placing greater emphasis on culture and inclusive excellence, UCOP is better positioned to advance its mission, strengthen collaboration with our campus partners, and more fully realize the University’s public mandate,” Sankaran wrote in the press release.