UCSC's first-ever Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

August 30, 2022

Dear Campus Community,

I am excited to announce that Anju Reejhsinghani will serve as campus’
first-ever Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Her first
day on campus is set for Sept. 12.


Anju is a strong and welcome addition to our campus community. She brings a
wealth of professional experience in diversity, equity and inclusion work,
both in the college classroom as an educator and as a senior leader. She
comes to us from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she served
most recently as Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion Administration. Before entering higher education leadership, she
was a tenured associate professor in the Department of History and
International Studies at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.


Understanding the nuanced perspectives of the many groups that make up our
campus community is critical to successful DEI work. Anju’s broad
experience with varied constituencies will help immensely as she partners
with people around our campus to create a more welcoming and equitable
institution. At UW Madison, she reported directly to the university’s chief
diversity officer and oversaw numerous units engaged in various DEI-related
efforts, among other duties. She holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree, both
in history, from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned a diploma in
economics from the London School of Economics & Political Science, and a
bachelor of arts in history from Princeton University.


The VC DEI position, which encompasses serving as our Chief Diversity
Officer and includes overseeing the campus Office of Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion, reports directly to the chancellor.


I am grateful for the work of Judith Estrada, Assistant Vice Chancellor for
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, who has served as interim Chief Diversity
Officer since last summer. She will continue as the office’s assistant vice
chancellor.


I also would like to thank the search advisory committee for its work in
reviewing candidates. We had an exceptionally strong group of finalists.
Thank you, as well, to the many in our campus community who provided
valuable feedback during the search process. The input was extremely
helpful.


Please join me in welcoming Anju and congratulating her on becoming a
Banana Slug!


Sincerely,

Cindy

Cynthia Larive
Chancellor