UCI DECADE’s Origins and Goals

(From an Interview with Graduate Dean Frances Leslie by Wujun Ke)

UCI’s campus-wide DECADE program was founded in 2010 through funding provided to Frances Leslie as Principal Investigator by the US Department of Education. The grant combined student programming with faculty mentorship in a joint effort to improve the overall campus climate at UCI. It is now funded by the Graduate Division.

The reason it was named DECADE was because its founders wanted, in ten years, to reach parity with undergraduate programs in regard to diversity. However, a few issues persist. First, undergraduate programs have grown while graduate programs have not, so the graduate program does not have the same level of diversity. Second, Graduate education actually provides pathways to positions of power and influence, so the program needs to foster access to graduate school in terms of admission and retention.

Today, DECADE is as strong as ever, and is hoping to continue to grow through increased student-faculty collaboration. Dr. Leslie remains adamant that the path to greater diversity and a better overall campus climate will take time, commitment, and patience.

SoE DECADE’s Origins and Goals

The SoE DECADE student council was founded in Fall of 2012. Funding is currently provided by the SoE and council leadership has been as follows:

The SoE DECADE provides a number of support systems for grad students, including mentoring and professional development. This year we plan to increase the types of supports offered to include access to resources and documents related to milestones, conferences, and more. We will also have students who can assist you with recruiting and supporting undergraduate RAs, as well as increase our outreach to the SOE undergraduate community and the greater community.