University of California, Santa Cruz is sticking to its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by increasing the number of faculty members who are people of color. The Arts Division hired eight new faculty members almost all of whom are people of color, the plurality being African American.
Since Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu, a woman of color herself, started her role in 2021, she’s made great strides in increasing diversity on campus. From 2021 until now the number of Arts Division faculty from underrepresented communities has increased from 46% to 58%. In that same period of time the number of Latinx professors doubled, and the number of Black professors very nearly doubled.
“Our faculty's commitment to DEI is evident in our work on DEI Action Plans and the Equity Mentorship Plans that show up in the teaching, research, and service of every faculty member that we have hired during my tenure as dean,” says Shimizu. “While our systems do not necessarily capture diversity in all its richness, we see our faculty elevating research and creative activities with a focus on the LGBTQI+ communities, or expanding the boundaries of performance and experiences of the differently abled.”
Along with faculty, the number of UC Santa Cruz Arts Division staff from marginalized communities and underrepresented backgrounds has more than tripled, going from 11% in 2020, just before Shimizu started, to 35% today.
“It is crucial that we continue to work together to ensure that we create a fully inclusive climate for our staff, faculty, and students so that together we are empowered to transform our departments, our division, and our university,” Shimizu.
The greater representation in faculty and staff members gives students the ability to see people from their own communities, while raising emphasis on arts and research from underrepresented groups. The three new Black faculty members come from a variety of backgrounds and fields. You can also read extended profiles on each of them.
Assistant Professor of Film and Digital Media
Despite being the new assistant professor in the Film and Digital Media department, Chari Glogovac-Smith’s work covers music, digital art, and performance as well. Throughout their career, Chari Glogovac-Smith has received numerous fellowships and was even nominated for an Emmy Award for their music. Currently they are working on a piece for the Seattle Modern Orchestra which will be premiering later this month. Glogovac-Smith themself is a first-generation college student, and finds it important to connect with their students.
The new assistant professor of art was born and raised in Detroit, and has spent the past few years teaching at Boston College. Even when he’s not working, Jackson dedicates his time to photography. Jackson expends a lot of his energy on making art, and his work has appeared in several galleries, but he also loves teaching and working with his students.
naru will be focussing on the history and study of hip hop, a genre for which there is little to no academic research. As a musician she has played in hundreds of cities across the United States and Europe. Parallel to her creative career, naru is excited to continue her career in teaching and she is looking forward to being in a place that has hosted other great thinkers in the Black community including bell hooks and Huey Newton.
