As UC Davis strives to welcome students who reflect the rich diversity of the state and beyond, we need to hire and retain faculty and leaders who can respect differences, honor collaboration and foster an inclusive environment.

To that end, applicants for tenure-track faculty positions at UC Davis must submit statements outlining their contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion, along with statements about their research and teaching contributions, letters of recommendation and other requirements. This has generated some controversy among some conservative groups, who say that these statements are a political litmus test, but we strongly disagree. To serve the needs of today’s students and solve complex problems that confront our world, we need to have faculty and leaders who appreciate differences in backgrounds and cultures and actively work to remove barriers to inclusion.

At UC Davis, diversity, equity and inclusion represent values we seek to infuse throughout our institution. This is particularly important among the leaders and faculty, for they influence generations of students. Their ability or inability to embrace these values determines whether UC Davis continues to make progress with these principles.