In 2007, Caltech's president established the President's Diversity Council in response to the recommendations of the Committee on the Student Experience and Student Affairs. At that time, the membership of the President's Diversity Council included broad representation from the campus community, including members of the Provost's Office, the Student Affairs organization, faculty, staff, and students. The efforts of the Council led, among other things, to an increase in the number of Hispanic students, greater support for LBGTQ+ students, a revision of the Freshman Summer Research Institute curriculum, and greater coordination of Caltech's K-12 outreach programs.
The Council took a temporary hiatus during the 2013-2014 presidential transitions. The president would now like to change the composition of the Council in order to refocus its efforts specifically on the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, students, and postdoctoral scholars at Caltech. The president's goal for the restructured Council is to make sure that Caltech "continues to attract the most original and creative scholars to the Institute by ensuring an environment where diversity is celebrated."
