University of California Irvine established a new diversity affinity group aimed at strengthening the community of women involved in technology roles across its campus, according to an Aug. 12 news release.
The group, named Women in Technology at UCI, will focus on engaging with staff, faculty, students and alumni to craft an alliance of female tech leaders and innovators who can help empower women employees, researchers and teachers at the university.
WiT UCI's advisory board includes faculty and staff in tech roles at the university's medical school, IT office, information and computer sciences division, social ecology school and arts school.
The group plans to hold educational events and networking opportunities to support career development and increase the retention and advancement of women in staff at academic roles at UCI. WiT UCI is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni and strategic partners, and all gender identities are welcome.
"Our goal is to support the advancement of women in information technology from hire to retire while raising awareness of gender and racial and ethnic gaps across campus," said Debra Richardson, professor emeritus of informatics and founding dean of UCI's school of information and computer sciences.