The vice provost of the Institute of American Cultures, a program intended to promote and advance research in ethnic studies, will step down from her position in July to return as a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences.
Belinda Tucker, who became the institute’s inaugural vice provost in 2011, refocused ethnic studies research centers to conduct further study on the nation’s racial and ethnic distribution, according to a UCLA statement released Tuesday.
Under her tenure, the institute has focused on analyzing the interactions of different ethnic groups with one another in a process known as cultural evolution, Tucker said. She added improving the campus climate and spearheading the diversity movement at UCLA were some of her office’s main accomplishments.
Tucker co-chaired the UCLA College Diversity Initiative Committee, which established a diversity requirement for all undergraduate students in the College of Letters and Science, said Scott Waugh, executive vice chancellor and provost, in the statement.
Tucker also served on the Moreno Report Implementation Committee to suggest ways to reduce acts of discrimination on campus, according the statement. The Moreno Report, a 2013 report headed by former California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno, alleged UCLA lacked adequate policies and procedures to investigate cases of discrimination.
Tucker said she thinks some interactions between different ethnic groups can lead to acts of inequality and racism, but can also produce a positive dialogue. She added the institute plans to continue research in cultural interaction and expand the American Indian Studies program.