ORG CHART: Transportation Services, AVANZA, Letters and Science – UC Davis

Report on Key Appointments at UC Davis and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Elizabeth Miller: Executive Associate Dean, College of Letters and Science

• Professor Elizabeth Miller has been appointed to the role of Executive Associate Dean for the College of Letters and Science.
• Key responsibilities include leading college-wide initiatives, developing faculty and chair mentoring programs, and expanding interdisciplinary efforts.
• Previous leadership roles include Interim Chair for the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, and Chair of the English Department.

Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

1. SDG 4 (Quality Education): Professor Miller’s focus on enhancing faculty mentoring and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations directly contributes to improving the quality of higher education and research at the institution.
2. SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Her appointment to a significant leadership position, coupled with her past role as Interim Chair for Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, exemplifies the university’s commitment to empowering women in leadership and academia.
3. SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): The objective to build stronger faculty and departmental collaborations strengthens internal partnerships, creating a more robust and effective educational institution.

Bryce Council: Executive Director of Transportation Services

• Bryce Council has been appointed Executive Director of Transportation Services, effective November 1, following a nationwide search.
• He brings over 15 years of leadership experience from UC Davis and UC Davis Health, previously serving as Director of Operations for Transportation Services.
• His expertise encompasses fleet operations, transit planning, parking programs, and the implementation of industry best practices and technology.

Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

1. SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Mr. Council’s role is central to developing and managing safe, accessible, and sustainable transportation systems for the campus community, a key target for creating sustainable infrastructure.
2. SDG 13 (Climate Action): By overseeing fleet operations and transit planning, his leadership will be critical in advancing climate action through the adoption of sustainable transportation solutions and reducing the university’s carbon footprint.
3. SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): His focus on technology and industry best practices will drive innovation in campus transportation, contributing to resilient and modern infrastructure.

Mayté Frías: Director of AVANZA

• Mayté Frías has been appointed Director of AVANZA, the university’s Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) initiative, with an official start date of December 8.
• AVANZA, housed within Inclusive Excellence, is dedicated to supporting the Chicanx/Latinx community and all students at UC Davis.
• Ms. Frías will utilize data-driven, evidence-based approaches to measure and improve the effectiveness of student support services, building on her previous work as a senior research associate with Student Affairs Assessment.

Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

1. SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): The AVANZA initiative, under Ms. Frías’s direction, directly addresses the goal of reducing inequalities by ensuring that students from the Chicanx/Latinx community have equitable opportunities and support to succeed in higher education.
2. SDG 4 (Quality Education): Her work to enhance support services like tutoring and resource centers is fundamental to providing inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all students.
3. SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): By strengthening the university’s capacity to serve a diverse student body, her leadership contributes to building a more effective, accountable, and inclusive institution at all levels.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • The article is centered on appointments within UC Davis, an institution of higher education. The roles described, such as the executive associate dean focusing on faculty mentoring and the director of the AVANZA initiative aimed at student success, are directly related to enhancing the quality and inclusivity of education provided by the university.
2. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article highlights the appointment of two women, Elizabeth Miller and Mayté Frías, to significant leadership positions (executive associate dean and director, respectively). This demonstrates progress in achieving gender equality in decision-making roles within public institutions. Professor Miller’s past role as chair for the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies further reinforces this connection.
3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The appointment of Mayté Frías as the director of AVANZA, the university’s Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) initiative, is a direct effort to address inequalities. The article states the initiative “celebrates the university’s commitment to the Chicanx/Latinx community” and aims to “improve support for student success,” specifically for a historically underserved group in higher education.
4. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The article announces appointments to high-level, professional positions, which represent decent work. Furthermore, a university’s core mission, supported by these roles, is to equip students with skills for “full and productive employment and decent work.”
5. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • The appointment of an Executive Director of Transportation Services, Bryce Council, connects to this goal. His responsibilities, including “transit planning” and overseeing “fleet operations,” are crucial for managing the transportation systems of the university campus, which functions like a small community.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 4 (Quality Education):
   • Target 4.3: “By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.” The AVANZA initiative, by focusing on supporting Chicanx/Latinx students, directly works towards ensuring equal access to quality university education.
   • Target 4.5: “By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable…” The HSI initiative is a clear example of promoting equal access for a specific ethnic community to reduce disparities.
   • Target 4.c: “By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers…” The role of the new executive associate dean, which includes “the continuing development of our chair and faculty mentoring programs,” aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of educators at the university.
2. Under SDG 5 (Gender Equality):
   • Target 5.5: “Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.” The appointments of Elizabeth Miller and Mayté Frías to senior leadership roles at UC Davis are direct examples of this target being met within a public institution.
3. Under SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities):
   • Target 10.2: “By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… race, ethnicity, origin…” The AVANZA initiative, designed to support the Chicanx/Latinx community at UC Davis, is a direct action to promote the social and educational inclusion of an ethnic group.
   • Target 10.3: “Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome…” The article mentions that the new director will use data and “‘servingness’ frameworks… to improve support for student success,” which are practices aimed at ensuring equal opportunity and reducing outcome gaps for Latinx students.
4. Under SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities):
   • Target 11.2: “By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all…” The role of the Executive Director of Transportation Services is to manage and plan the campus’s transit and transportation systems, which is a direct implementation of this target at a community level.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For SDG 4 & 10:
   • The article explicitly mentions a quantitative indicator: the number of Latinx students. It states, “UC Davis became eligible to be one of the nation’s few research-intensive universities designated as an HSI, after fall 2024 enrollment numbers crossed the threshold for HSI status for the first time,” and notes the university is “serving more than 8,000 Latinx students.” This serves as a direct indicator related to the participation rate of a specific group in tertiary education (related to official indicator 4.5.1).
   • The article implies the use of performance indicators by stating that Mayté Frías “has measured the effectiveness of Student Affairs services like tutoring or resource centers to improve support for student success.” This points to the use of data on student outcomes and service efficacy.
2. For SDG 5:
   • An indicator is implied by the content of the appointments. The proportion of women in leadership positions can be measured. In the article, two out of the three announced leadership roles were filled by women. This relates to indicator 5.5.2 (“Proportion of women in managerial positions”).
3. For SDG 11:
   • While no specific data is given, the existence of a leadership role for “Transportation Services” implies that the institution tracks metrics related to its transportation system (e.g., transit ridership, fleet efficiency, parking utilization), which would be used to measure progress towards providing accessible and sustainable transport for the campus community.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: ucdavis.edu