Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Taskforce
Institutional EDI Framework & Strategy – Summary Report
February 2019 to April 2020
In its 2018-2023 Strategic Plan, Humber College committed to continue to build a diverse and inclusive community of exceptional students, faculty and staff. Dedicated to the same outcome, the University of Guelph-Humber and Humber College (Humber) are establishing and implementing an institutional framework and strategy for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) that addresses the needs of both students and employees. Below is a synopsis of the work completed to date.
The EDI Taskforce (Taskforce) established in January 2019, held its first meeting on March 1, 2019. The Taskforce, comprised of students, faculty, support staff, administrative employees, alumni, industry and community partners, developed its Terms of Reference and Vision Statement in the Spring/Summer 2019. This Vision Statement was later adapted for Pillar #3: Healthy and Inclusive Community.
An approved Implementation Plan comprising of four (4) program areas and five (5) streams with key deliverables guides the work of the Taskforce. Utilizing several communication modes, the Taskforce elicited feedback from the College community on a number of topics. These communication approaches included Communique posts, email campaigns, Knowledge Cafés, Lunch and Feedback sessions, presentations at Humber Townhalls as well as meetings with stakeholders. Feedback from the Humber community led to revised definitions for three key terms, equity, diversity and inclusion and the development of draft objectives that will form the basis of the Institutional EDI Strategy and Framework.
Taskforce members continue to participate in EDI capacity building education and training. Taskforce Leads maximize these learning opportunities by inviting the wider College community to attend the workshops. Both internal and external subject matter specialists facilitate these educational sessions. Examples of workshops include: Unconscious Bias & Challenges to Fair Assessment with Dr. Maydianne Andrade, Seeing the Racial Water with Dr. Robin DiAngelo, and Understanding Employment Equity Data with Olivia Batt, amongst many others.
To increase intentionality in senior leadership that communicates commitment to inclusion, the College-Wide Community & Engagement Strategy Working Group developed a series of EDI capacity building workshops for the senior leadership. While the senior executive attended a workshop last spring, we have had to postpone the session for Senior Deans, Deans and Associate Deans to the fall/winter 2020/2021 terms.
The Taskforce will launch two (2) Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). The African/Black ERG will launch this spring/summer 2020, and the LGBTQ+ ERG will launch this fall 2020. Additionally, all Taskforce Working Groups are refining the year-over-year draft objectives and tactics for their respective program areas. The updated objectives & tactics will be socialized across the College over the spring/summer/fall 2020 months to elicit additional feedback.
For more information about the work of the Taskforce, including sharing your EDI related ideas, information on upcoming meetings, and accessing EDI related resources, please visit: http://hrs.humber.ca/edi.
A deep thank you to the Humber community for continuing to uphold our foundational values of equity, diversity and inclusion and to the members of the Taskforce for their commitment to building a more inclusive Humber.
