Introduction to Affirmative Action
One year after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, President Lyndon Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 requiring all federal contractors to take affirmative action to prevent discrimination in employment practices and to report on their progress.
An affirmative action program is a set of procedures that has as its aim the full utilization of minorities and women in the work force through the application of good faith efforts. It is a means by which the organization achieves equal employment opportunity (EEO). An affirmative action program consists of essential procedures the employer uses to:
- analyze its work force and evaluates its employment practices
- identify and correct any problem areas
- develop outreach and action-oriented programs tailored to the problem areas, and
- establish goals to measure success
As a federal contractor, UC Berkeley, is required to have an affirmative action program in place. The campus Staff Affirmative Action Plan describes that program at the campus level. The control unit plan supplements the campus plan by providing information on affirmative action responsibilities at the control unit level.
For more information
For additional background information about equal employment opportunity,
affirmative action, and diversity, please refer to the Staff Equity
and Diversity Services's Background and
Definitions document and to the main Staff
Affirmative Action page on this website.