Humber Polytechnic’s ongoing work to create an equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) focused institution continues with the release of an action plan that will guide Humber’s efforts in the area.

Building Connections: An Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Action Plan for Humber Polytechnic and the University of Guelph-Humber builds upon the work Humber has already done and sets the vision for the future.

“As leaders in the post-secondary sector, I truly believe that advancing belonging requires constant and intentional efforts,” writes Humber president and CEO Ann Marie Vaughan in the document. “That is why belonging is a fundamental building block of Building Brilliance, Humber’s new vision to 2030 and beyond, and a value that must underpin all that we do."

“Efforts to advance EDIB with intentionality go beyond mere support; they entail active engagement and genuine commitment to consistently learning and dismantling barriers that prevent inclusion and belonging,” she continued.

Four Areas of Action identified

The plan lists four EDIB Areas of Action and these provide clear direction and prioritize key EDIB initiatives in the most impactful areas. The Areas of Action reflect a structured approach for EDIB work that will foster alignment across institutional plans, enabling cohesive efforts and a unified vision.

The Areas of Action are: Inclusive Campus Culture and Organizational Leadership; Equitable Student Success; EDIB Learning Innovation; and Collective Action and Community Engagement. Each includes a series of actions that will be undertaken from 2024 to 2028.

Inclusive Campus Culture and Organizational Leadership seeks to empower all employees and students to develop an organizational culture that fosters inclusivity through developing faculty, support staff, administrative staff and student’s EDIB capabilities for sustainable systemic change. Leaders within Humber will continue to develop their EDIB leadership competencies to advance organizational inclusion. Actions include building the Office of EDIB team infrastructure, developing systemic EDIB learning for all employees, and collaborating with Peoples and Culture to advance EDIB organizational processes and practices.

Equitable Student Success will consistently advance and establish equitable institutional practices to address the prevalence of systemic exclusion across student services and programs to increase equitable access for equity deserving groups. Actions include developing mechanisms to continuously assess and promote EDIB student-facing programs and services for equity-deserving students, creating tools to assist students in advancing graduate employability skills and competencies, and increasing access and enrolment for underserved groups.

EDIB Learning Innovation will further strengthen Humber’s commitment to integrate EDIB, using teaching and learning strategies in the curricula and co-curricular learning environments. Actions include the further development of EDIB curriculum integration processes and systems, systematic integration of EDIB faculty training, tools and resources, and developing a consistent approach to ensure systemic integration of EDIB and Universal Design for Learning.

Collective Action and Community Engagement seeks to build relationships with diverse external communities, industry partners and thought leaders to inform EDIB policies, practices and programming. Actions include increasing strategic initiatives and partnerships with EDIB thought leaders and community organizations while creating new and innovative methods for building sustainable relationships to inform EDIB work.

‘The opportunity to build a truly inclusive space’

"Our progress relies on shared commitment and ongoing dedication. Together, we have the opportunity to build a truly inclusive space that reflects both innovation and excellence. I urge everyone to get involved, offer their input, and join us in advancing this essential initiative,” said Yasmin Razack, dean, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging.

For next steps, the Office of EDIB will engage with the community to develop communications on how the plan will operate while capturing feedback and consistently monitoring the progress and effectiveness of initiatives aligned with the overarching EDIB metrics.

As part of Building Brilliance: Our Vision to 2030 and Beyond, we are shedding the traditional constraints of higher education and reimagining a model that both adapts to and shapes the world around us. At Humber, we don’t just want to have an impact – we want to drive it. By staying true to the values of courage, innovation, equity, sustainability, and health and well-being, values that have always guided us, Humber will continue to lead post-secondary education into 2030 and beyond. By making bold decisions around how we fundamentally operate, we can reimagine learning, forge deeper partnerships and drive impact, creating real value and progress. This story is an example of how we are building brilliance by driving impact every day.