Our Mission
The Strategic Asian and Pacific Islander Retention Initiative (SAandPIRI) promotes academic excellence, connectedness, and empowering leadership for all students. SAandPIRI recognizes the diversity of the Asian and Pacific Islander (AandPI) diasporas at UC Davis and aims to enhance academic success through culturally relevant programs, services, activities, and resources. SAandPIRI is open to all students and is informed by federal and institutional frameworks such as the Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) designation, including Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). It prioritizes efforts that address educational barriers experienced by students from underserved backgrounds, including those with Filipinx, Southeast Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander heritage.
Our Vision
SAandPIRI aims to support the development of interdependence and purpose of students through culturally informed asset based advising and programs. SAandPIRI collaborates with scholars, faculty, staff, and community partners to facilitate self-direction, navigational literacy of the university, and interpersonal goals. To provide the most effective and intentional programs and services, the retention initiative is informed by disaggregated data, research, and scholarship regarding Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander student experiences in higher education with the ultimate objective of retention and graduation.
By engaging with SAandPIRI, scholars will be able to:
- Identify campus resources and programs that promote and uplift Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students and scholars.
- Develop self-advocacy and self-awareness skills to strengthen their autonomy in educational environments.
- Construct a definition of success that aligns with their cultural values, personal vocations, and overall purpose.
- Establish networks of care, mentorship, and professionalism to support their goals.
To learn more about the specific programs and events connected to the SAandPIRI, please visit our services page.
What constitutes as "Asian and Pacific Islander"?
We recognize that the Asian and Pacific Islander community is full of diverse identities and backgrounds. We hope to meet the needs of every student who identifies with these communities.. Additionally, our partners at MENASA Student Resources are also available to provide support to our communities identifying across the Middle East, North African, and South Asian communities. Given the multiplicity of our diasporas, Asia and the Pacific Island are generally identified by the following regions and modern-day socio-political country-names. Additionally, the country names listed below are limited to the continental affiliations and may not be reflective of cultural norms and values espoused by folks who identify as Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander:
5 Regions of Asia
- Central Asia
- Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan
- East Asia
- China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau
- South Asia
- Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Iran, the Maldives
- Southeast Asia
- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam
- Western Asia
- Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
3 Regions of the Pacific Islands (Pasifika or Oceania)
- Melanesia
- Fiji, New Caledonia, West Papua and Makulu Islands, Solomon Islands, Torres Strait Islands, Vanuatu
- Micronesia
- The Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands
- Polynesia
- American Sāmoa, Cook Islands, Easter Island, French Polynesia, Kingdom of Hawaii, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Islands, Pitcairn Islands, Rotuma, Sāmoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna