The UC Women’s Initiative for Professional Development (UC WI) is an experiential professional development program offered to mid-career women-identified professionals who demonstrate the potential to advance their careers at UC. A systemwide program, UC WI helps women-identified professionals to advance in their UC careers and seeks to retain those who have demonstrated the potential for advancement. Participants represent faculty, academic personnel and staff, people managers and individual contributors.

UC WI is committed to enabling the full participation, success and advancement of woman-identified professionals at the university. The program is open to all who support and are committed to this mission.

The program is sponsored by the President’s office and the Systemwide Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (SACSW) and offered by Systemwide Human Resources in partnership with Coro Northern California and SACSW.  The program is co-facilitated by Coro Northern California and UC WI graduates.

Reasons to participate in UC WI

• Build strategic relationships systemwide
• Learn to actively communicate your value to the organization
• Advocate for your needs in the workplace
• Demonstrate your value to UCOP and UC by coaching others
• Increase your awareness of diverse UC career paths

Please visit the UC WI website for more information, including participant testimonials.

2020 nomination process

• Participants must be nominated by a supervisor. Supervisors should meet with nominees to ensure they can attend the program dates and complete the online UC WI Nomination Form by the nomination deadline, Oct. 14, 2020.
• UC WI holds four regional cohorts (two in Northern California, two in Southern California), with 120 total participants. UCOP can send eight participants (half in each region). Last year, we had 36 applicants with 12 spots; we expect more applications this year.
• The UCOP WI Nomination Committee includes past UC WI participants in partnership with UC WI leads Annie Prozan, Rebekah Fernandez and Nancy Pluzdrak. This committee determines the final participants using the criteria listed below.
• Systemwide UC WI leads will communicate selected participants and alternates by Oct. 24, 2020.

Participant criteria

Participants must:

• Be mid-career women-identified professionals who demonstrate the potential to advance their careers at UC
• Represent the diversity of OP, including different functions and departments
• Commit to the program with full attendance and participation at all sessions
• Complete intersession assignments (up to two hours between seminars)
• Have the commitment and support of their nominating sponsor and/or manager
• Show initiative and a desire to grow at UC

UC WI Participant Costs

By nominating an individual, the department is agreeing to cover all fees. This year’s participant fee is $1,050 and covers virtual program delivery and all program resources, tools and support. This is a reduction from the previous year’s participant fee of $1,950. When we return to in-person sessions, fees will once again increase to cover costs. Travel and other expenses for in-person programming will be paid by the participant’s location.

Further guidance on the process

• The UCOP WI Nomination Committee recommends submitting two to three letters of support. (Note that the form asks for 10.)
• Letters of support should include how the nominee:
  • Will benefit from the program
  • Will use the knowledge in her current position and for the benefit of UC
  • Shows initiative
  • Will use the knowledge gained from the program

• The UC WI Nomination Committee is seeking diversity of roles, departments and underrepresented groups in leadership at OP. We recommend that department lead teams meet to determine one nominee. Given the numbers, not all departments will be able to send someone; departments will likely not be able to send more than one person.

For more details and information, please visit the UC WI page or contact the UCOP UC WI leads Annie Prozan, Rebekah Fernandez (current chair of PACSW) or Nancy Pluzdrak.

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