Petitt carries those
lessons and that
passion with her
as an advocate
for others. As Vice
Chancellor for
Equity, Diversity,
and Inclusion
(EDI) at UC San
Diego, she works
to create the
most welcoming
living, learning
and working
environment
possible for more
than 60,000
faculty, staff
and students.
Since joining the
university in 2014,
Petitt has already
left her imprimatur
on campus
culture, elevating
her mission to
strategically
integrate diversity
into all aspects of
the university.
“It’s a mistake
when Chief
Diversity Officers
are not properly
introduced to the community,” Petitt says. “For every leadership
decision, for every institutional decision, we must consider the
impact on equity, diversity and inclusion.”
This motivation has resulted in the forthcoming Strategic Plan
for Inclusive Excellence, the university’s first-ever campus-wide
diversity plan. It aims to better attract and support a campus
community more reflective of California’s demographics and
includes accountability measures. Petitt developed much of her
strategic planning knowledge in her previous position as Associate
Vice President for Diversity at Texas A&M. There she helped
develop a campus diversity plan that is now a national exemplar
of sustainable
institutional
change.
Members of
her team have
affectionately
referred to her as
an overachiever,
and her UC
San Diego
successes already
demonstrate
this. In addition
to reinvigorating
the campus-wide
EDI Advisory
Council, her office
has created the
Leaders for Equity
Advancement
and Diversity
(LEAD) Fellows
Program, which
creates campus
champions to
engage difficult
conversations
around diversity
in inclusion. She
has overseen
the launch of the
Black Academic
Becky Petitt
Excellence
Initiative and the
Latinx/Chicanx Academic Excellence Initiative, both aimed at
increasing access and retention of underrepresented minorities.
Even with so many successes, Petitt remains realistic that her
work may never truly be finished. Ever the optimist, however, she
views the pursuit of progress as her actual mission. “We have
made great strides toward a more inclusive and dynamic campus
community,” says Petitt. “At the same time, I recognize how much
additional opportunity we have to attract and retain a diverse
student population, a broadly representative faculty and a widely
skilled workforce.”
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FEBRUARY 2019 | GBSAN.COM 51