It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome each of you to UC Merced! My name is Delia Saenz, and I have the honor of serving as UC Merced’s inaugural vice chancellor of Equity, Justice, and Inclusive Excellence (EJIE). In this role, I oversee our campus efforts to create an environment that is welcoming and inclusive and allows every person to showcase their talents and thrive. EJIE’s mission is to build community and capacity by promoting a model of shared responsibility for equity and inclusion and by providing education, resources, and partnership. How do we fulfill our mission? Well, EJIE is committed to affirming the social identities of our Bobcat community members and ensuring that everyone feels heard and respected. Accordingly, we have numerous initiatives that celebrate and provide educational opportunities around heritage and culture. We sponsor both campus and community events that advance social justice. And we work in partnership with individuals and groups to promote community-building. Our approach utilizes a developmental framework that progresses from awareness and understanding, through reflection and action (AURA). In this way, we encompass the learning trajectories of all who want to be EJIE warriors. So, we welcome you to join us — to learn, to have fun, to create community, and to have an impact in the service of inclusion and equity. To learn more about our division, please join our listserv and visit our website at ejie.ucmerced.edu/. I look forward to seeing you on campus in August.

Go Bobcats!