Objectives
The overarching objective of this plan is to advance equity, diversity and inclusion in the research and teaching award portfolios at the University of Calgary through the following actions:
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research and Teaching Awards
The University of Calgary Research and Teaching Awards Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Plan was developed to embed a foundational commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in identifying and nominating candidates for external research and teaching excellence awards.
The impetus for this approach is grounded in a significant and growing body of research, which has established the many ways in which equity, diversity and inclusion are integral to excellence in the 21st-century university. This research demonstrates that diversity makes us smarter, improves problem-solving enhances decision-making, fuels creativity and drives innovation. Diverse and inclusive environments contribute to a more socially diverse academic and staff workforce, higher faculty retention rates and improved collective research and teaching impact.
The intended audience includes faculty members who recruit, nominate, sponsor, mentor, and evaluate their peers for external awards and senior institutional leadership, award committee members and staff who support these efforts.
Drafting Committee
Co-Chairs
- Malinda Smith - Vice-Provost (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion), Associate Vice-President (Research - EDI)
- Leslie Reid - Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning)
- Robert Thompson - Associate Vice-President (Research)
Support Staff
- Anna LeMarquand - Specialist, Research Grants and Awards, Research Services Office
- Erin O’Toole - Specialist, Research Awards and Chairs, Research Services Office
- Pamela Hyde - Senior Specialist, Strategic Marketing & Communications, Office of the Vice-President (Research)
- Amber Bedard - Manager, Indigenous Research Support Team
- Fiona Clement - Associate Professor and Department Head, Community Health Sciences
- Gerald Ratt, Specialist, Indigenous Initiatives, Office of Indigenous Engagement
- Jaya Dixit - Specialist, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Research Services Office
- Kinga Olszewska - Senior Research Advisor, Faculty of Arts
- Kirsten Exall - Director, Institutional Programs Division, Research Services Office
- Laleh Behjat - Professor, Department of Electrical and Software Engineering; NSERC Women in Science and Engineering Chair (Prairie Region), Schulich School of Engineering
- Marc Strous - Professor, Department of Geoscience, Faculty of Science
- Mary Grantham O’Brien - Professor, School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Culture, Faculty of Arts
- Natasha Kenny - Senior Director, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning
- Shirley Steinberg - Professor, Werklund School of Education
- Sylvie Roy - Professor and Associate Dean (Research), Werklund School of Education
- Tiago Lier - Director, Grants, Awards, and Ethics, Research Services Office
Next Steps
In the July 2022 Research Awards Steering Committee meeting, the Deans unanimously voted to conclude the pilot phase and formally adopt the Plan for Equity. Diversity and Inclusion in Research Awards. The plan will continue to be updated as additional research and better practices are developed.
The co-chairs of the plan are currently focusing on developing a new draft of the plan based on feedback received through engagement sessions and developing materials to support the implementation and evaluation of the plan.
Feedback is welcome. Please email the drafting committee or fill out the feedback form.
“When proactive measures are taken to identify and remove systemic barriers and biases and to increase accountability, more diverse cohorts of excellent researchers [and teachers] are nominated…. The bottom line is there is no antagonism between diversity and excellence.”
Malinda S. Smith, PhD, LLD (Hons) et al., 2019
1
Identify and address barriers to equity, diversity and inclusion in current research and teaching awards for talent identification, nomination and selection processes
2
Identify practices that increase opportunities, and advance equity, diversity and inclusion in research and teaching award nominations, selection, and related processes
3
Establish a culture of inclusive excellence, and recognition that is equitable and inclusive of equity-deserving groups and diverse scholarly disciplines
4
Identify supports and resources required to implement the plan
Framework and guidance
This plan provides a framework and guidance to enable the university’s faculties and central administrative offices to:
1
Increase the diversity of our pool of nominees for external research and teaching awards, to be reflective of the diversity on our campus and inclusive of all equity-deserving groups
2
Develop and incorporate inclusive practices in the identification of nominees for external teaching and research awards
3
Work with the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Institutional Analysis to access data on faculty members and equity-deserving groups that can be combined with research and teaching awards data to establish targets and track progress on objectives
Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)
The University of Calgary signed DORA in January 2021, joining thousands of institutions and individuals globally. The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) is a global initiative to encourage the development and promotion of best practices in evaluating researchers and scholarly research outputs.
Dimensions: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Canada
The University of Calgary is proud to have endorsed the Dimensions: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Canada charter and been selected to be part of the Dimensions pilot program. The University of Calgary was awarded a Dimensions: Construction recognition on April 27, 2023.
Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP)
Inclusive Excellence, Public Accountability and Transparency. Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences.
