If participating postsecondary institutions don’t meet their targets by the end of 2029, the number of research chairs they receive will be cut.
Shree Mulay says she’s noticed a change in attitude when it comes to the selection process for Canada Research Chair appointments at Memorial University, where she’s a professor of community health and humanities. Compared to years past, more attention is paid to hiring candidates from diverse b...
A newly created digital tool can help promote inclusion and reflect on institutional bias.
Diversity is increasingly viewed as an invaluable asset, but organizations that strive to create inclusive environments continue to be hindered by unconscious biases. A new digital compass developed by Université Laval’s Institut EDI2 (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Intersectionality) in collab...
Universities often ignore a varied and rich Black intellectual tradition.
Last November I attended an event called “UBC students of colour in solidarity,” an afternoon of activities for racialized and indigenous students and their supporters. The goal of the gathering was to challenge what organizers perceive as systemic racism and anti-blackness on Canadian campuses ...
Free on-demand services that foster financial, social and academic equity can help universities improve student morale and retention.
When I first read the results of the Studiosity Student Research Survey, which canvassed over 1,000 postsecondary students across Canada during the pandemic, two numbers jumped out at me.
The first, that 74 per cent of respondents said the pandemic had a negative impact on their postsecondary exp...
BY AASIYA SATIA, KHADIJEH RAKIE & SADIA ANJUM | March 05 2024
Our spiritual lens serves as a source of strength and perseverance in the face of ongoing challenges.
Is it really that complex for a woman who is visibly Muslim (who wears a headscarf/hijab) and racialized to thrive in a portfolio of inclusion, anti-racism, and diversity?
The three of us can answer with a resounding yes! Our individualized complexities include discrimination at the intersection ...
The Western Research Scholars Academy, which pairs CRCs with experienced mentors from across the globe, emphasizes personal connection as a key part of professional development.
A novel mentorship network at Western University is aiming to help early-career researchers from equity-deserving groups build connections with academic leaders. Co-designed with the university’s office of the vice-president, research, and a cohort of 19 Tier 2 Canada Research Chairs, the Western ...
While progress is being made, queer students at some universities still face challenges from administration.
Master’s of social work students Ashleigh Lucas and Erin Michalski felt something was missing from their campus experience at King’s University College, which is affiliated with Western University.
The two members of the queer community say they found there was a lack of queer spaces, represe...
“I’m a little bit saddened that in 2018 we’re still talking about this,” says chief science advisor Mona Nemer.
More than a generation ago there were loud noises being made throughout academia about the need to bring more women into STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, from kindergarten all the way through to postdoctoral work. Studies were conducted, programs were put in place, ...
Scholars push for a deeper look at how race and racism play out on university campuses.
In both public conversations and in marketing campaigns aimed at attracting new students and faculty, Canadian universities pride themselves on their inclusiveness and their commitment to diversity. They hold an idealized, idealistic place in the public imagination, and are thought of as places tha...
Universities are considered to be among the most liberal institutions in society, yet many non-Caucasian scholars say they still feel excluded or denied opportunities. How does this happen?
Update: See a web-exclusive response to this article.
Sociologist Peter Li’s path from graduate student to fellow of the Royal Society of Canada started with questions about his ability to speak English because of his last n...
Beyond proclamations and before processes, people are core.
It can be easy to add the words decolonization, justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility to a website, to a mission statement, to a discussion. It is more difficult to articulate what these words mean to each of us as individuals. And furthermore, what each concept means as individua...
Are equity, diversity and inclusion criteria and sustainable development goals compatible with academia’s obsession with excellence?
Excellence is no longer unanimously lauded in the academic community. Its shifting meaning is at the heart of the debate on whether equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and sustainable development goals (SDGs) should be used as criteria in public research funding.
T...
Efforts to address issues of equity, diversity and inclusion require leadership, good governance and accountability.
More than 30 years after the first wave of efforts to address issues of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) on university campuses in Canada, I reflect on the reality that the sector continues to grapple with profound and enduring challenges to making meaningful progress. Statements of commitment ...
BY KAREN MCCRINDLE & KRYSTLE PHIRANGEE | May 18 2021
Recognizing the pervasiveness and the impact of microaggressions is critical to the development of inclusive and anti-racist learning.
Over the past year, educators have been teaching in various online learning environments (OLEs), which have had many benefits, but have also produced unexpected consequences. One such consequence has been the increase in microaggressions, which create an unwelcome environment, negatively impact the ...
They affirm that universities have a vital role to play in helping society navigate through the deepest challenges of our time, from climate change to the dangers of misinformation and rising intolerance.
How will Canadian universities change over the next 20 years? What challenges will they face and what opportunities lie ahead? In honour of University Affairs’ 60th anniversary, we put questions like these to seven people representing different regions and facets of the university enterpr...
One year after a mass reckoning, we examine what universities are doing to address anti-Black racism in their own institutions.
Last year, amidst a global reckoning around anti-Black racism, Canadian universities stood back to take stock of the ways the problem exists and operates at their own institutions. Schools across the country made statements of solidarity, declaring that racism had no pl...
The federal government wants to bring a pilot version of the U.K. charter to Canada to promote equity and inclusion in research.
Continue reading, the program first launched in U.K. universities more than a decade ago to advance the careers of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, will be coming to Canada in some form. The federal government wa...
Consultations will continue in February and March with underrepresented groups and academic institutions on the draft charter aimed at promoting equity, diversity and inclusion.
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