About:

Inclusive Excellence Leadership Awards are largely modeled after the Office of Inclusive Excellence’s Faculty Spirit Awards. They are intended to support activities which promote equity, diversity, and inclusion on campus among faculty, students, and staff, as well as the communities served by UCI. The proposer(s) can be any Biological Sciences community member including faculty, staff, students, postdocs, and alumni. Groups are also encouraged to submit team proposals (teams must designate one individual to serve as the point of contact).

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will support a limited number of proposals each year under this mechanism. Proposals must include a budget of up to $5,000. All funded proposals must address at least one of the five goals of the program.

  •  Deepen the understanding of race, gender, class, sexuality, disability, and/or other identities;
  •  Promote emotional intelligence and intercultural competency; 
  •  Build and sustain partnerships with community-based organizations; 
  •  Advance achievement among educationally disadvantaged communities; or
  •  Contribute to an affirmative climate for all members of the UC Irvine Bio Sci community.
icon of people in circle - inclusive excellence

Examples of the types of activities that can be supported by this program include seminar series, training and institutional capacity-building, informational workshops, panel discussions, screenings, UC-HBCU exchange programs, community based partnerships, K-12 educational programs, and invited keynote speakers.

Application Process:

The application must be submitted by a Bio Sci student, faculty, staff, postdoc, or alumnus/a. Team applications are also welcome as long as there is one individual acting as the submitting PI. Proposals should detail the need for the program, details of how it will be designed and implemented, expertise and qualifications of the proposing team, project timeline and milestones, as well as how outcomes will be evaluated. Each awarded proposal will be required to submit a final report detailing the program outcomes and evaluation results. The application packet must include:

  • 2-3 page proposal (single space, 11pt font, 0.5 in margins)
  • Max 1 page itemized budget 

The complete application must be emailed as a single combined PDF to inclusionbiosci@uci.edu. There is no formal deadline for application and proposals will be considered on a rolling basis. Consultation with Associate Dean Yassa prior to submission is highly recommended. 

Award Winners