Gender equity represents one of the most pressing challenges in higher education today. An inclusive faculty culture was and remains essential to the advancement of excellence in the mission of the University of California, Irvine.

Since 2001-2002 the UCI ADVANCE Program has carried out this campus commitment by raising awareness about gender equity, removing barriers to the recruitment and retention of women faculty and advocating for greater diversity in senior leadership positions.

UCI is a different institution today because of the dedication of equity advisors, the central administration and academic senate, and faculty to promoting institutional transformation. Institutional transformation is by no means complete. But, as the highlights below show, a foundation for sustainable change now exists.

Women faculty comprise 30% of all ladder rank faculty campus-wide; a 5% increase since 2001-2002.

Women faculty campus-wide account for 43% of assistant professors, 37% of associate professors, and 22% of full professors.

Women faculty in all STEM schools combined account for 26% of all faculty; a 5% increase since 2001-2002. They are 37% of assistant professors, 31% of associate professors and 18% of full professors.

60 faculty have been appointed through the Career Partners Program since 2000-2001.

Senior faculty women as deans lead or have led STEM schools, including Biological Sciences, Computer and Information Science, Paul Merage Business School (formerly known as Graduate School of Management) and Social Sciences. Senior faculty women deans currently lead the schools of Arts and Humanities, and chair the Department of Education.

Senior faculty women hold campus leadership positions, including the Vice Chancellor for Research, Dean of Graduate Division and Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education.

Four senior faculty women have served or will serve as chair of the Irvine Division of the Academic Senate (1999-2000, 2006-2007, 2008-2009, and 2009-2010).

The campus has supported two senior faculty women faculty as American Council on Education Fellows, including a former Equity Advisor.

A former Equity Advisor is the campus faculty representative on the University of California Committee on the Status of Women.

Childbearing and parental leave are automatic on request for qualifying faculty; Active Service Modified Duty is available for childbearing parent and for non-childbearing parent, who performs 50% of the primary care-giving.

The campus central administration funds replacement resources for faculty on approved Active Service Modified Duty.

UC Irvine’s combined childcare resources provide for infant/toddler, pre-school and school age children. Childcare remains a high priority for the future.

The Office of Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost in 2005-2006 subsidized the expansion of the Infant Toddler Center by 40 slots.

UCI ADVANCE launched in Spring 2008 the ADVANCE Dependent Care Travel Award Program. Funded by the Elsevier Foundation New Scholars Program for three years, these awards subsidize childcare related costs associated with conference attendance or participation for tenure track assistant professors.

The Special Senate Committee on Diversity in 2007-2008 developed a statement on Work-Life Balance to raise awareness and utilization of family accommodation benefits for qualifying faculty as well as to promote equity in the review process.