Inclusion Action Plan: What We Heard

At UBC, we are committed to advancing inclusion across the university. At the request of the sponsoring Vice Presidents, the UBC Equity & Inclusion Office has worked with campus partners since September of 2018 to develop an Inclusion Action Plan.  The plan identifies areas of focus and actions needed to create a more inclusive and welcoming community in which to live, work, and learn. The UBC Inclusion Action Plan was endorsed by UBC’s Executive in December 2019.

READ THE PLAN

Background to the Plan

The Inclusion Action Plan (IAP) is a guiding document that identifies priority goals for inclusion at UBC and strategic-level actions needed to achieve the goals. It operationalizes the Inclusion theme in Shaping UBC’s Next Century: UBC’s Strategic Plan 2018-2028.

As a university, we recognize the value of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and the positive impact that welcoming and inclusive environments have on the wellbeing, experiences, and success of students, faculty, and staff.

The IAP seeks to build on and connect previous and ongoing efforts at UBC, incorporating relevant ideas and recommendations in a single action plan that guides inclusion priorities at UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan.

As part of the development process for this plan, we sought to reflect the voices and needs of our community, particularly those that have been historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized. Through this process, we heard over 5,400 ideas for positive change.

Currently, institutional-level structures and processes are being developed to support implementation and cross-campus learning, as well as accountability to the goals and actions in the plan. Stay tuned for more information and for the official launch of the IAP.

Consultation and Development Process

To inform the development of the action plan, a series of engagement opportunities invited students, staff, faculty, and the wider community to share their voices.

  • September to October 2018: A campus-wide Inclusion Working Group convened to develop the draft definition of inclusion and create draft goals and priority areas.
  • January 2019:  An Inclusion Advisory Committee convened to develop and advise on the campus community engagement process.
  • January to February 2019: A baseline scan of existing recommendations for action was conducted and existing reports on workplace, and student representation and experiences were reviewed. These helped to inform draft action ideas.
  • March to April 2019: 1650+ community members provided feedback on draft recommendations and identified additional opportunities for action through pop-up consultation events, conversation cafés, a conversation toolkit, and an online feedback form.  Broad input from campus communities was collected, analyzed, and synthesized.
  • May 2019: An Actions Development Workshop was held with over 70 members of UBCV and UBCO to prioritize and identify actions, considering needs at both campuses as well as the feasibility of the actions.
  • July – September 2019: Students, faculty, and staff members of historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized groups, as well as senior leadership, were engaged in the review of the draft IAP.
  • October 2019: The IAP was presented to the UBC Executive, with a request for further consultation on the implementation approach.
  • December 2019: The IAP was presented to the Board of Governors, and endorsed by the UBC Executive.

What We Heard

See the feedback that we received throughout the engagement process.

Governance and Decision-Making

An Inclusion Advisory Committee comprised of faculty, staff, and students oversaw the development of the IAP. A working group within the UBC Equity & Inclusion Office executed the engagement process design and delivery.

Committee Co-Chairs

  • Sara-Jane Finlay, Associate Vice-President, Equity & Inclusion
  • Gillian Henderson, Director, Human Resources, UBC Okanagan

UBC Okanagan

Students

  • Virginie Fostroy - Graduate Student, School of Social Work, Faculty of Health & Social Development

Faculty

  • Shirley Chau - Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Faculty of Health & Social Development
  • Sheila Epp - Associate Director, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health & Social Development

Staff

  • Kristin Cacchioni - Senior Manager, Faculty and Employee Relations, Human Resources
  • Vania Chan - e-Learning Instructional Support Specialist, Centre for Teaching and Learning
  • Jenica Frisque - Equity Facilitator, UBC Equity & Inclusion Office
  • Gillian Henderson - Director, Human Resources
  • Rachelle Hole - Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Faculty of Health & Social Development
  • Earllene Roberts - Manager, Disability Resource Centre, Student Development & Advising

UBC Vancouver

Students

  • Racheal Ayugi - Student
  • Mir Muhtadi Faiaz - Student
  • Cristina Ilnitchi - Vice-President, External, UBC Alma Mater Society
  • Melissa Prado - Student
  • Agang Tema - Student

Faculty

  • Jan Hare - Professor, Associate Dean, Indigenous Education, Faculty of Education
  • Kai Li - Professor, Finance Division and Senior Associate Dean, Equity and Diversity, Sauder School of Business
  • Sheryl Lightfoot - Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs and Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts
  • Jennifer Ann Love - Senior Advisor to the Provost on Women Faculty and Professor, Chemistry, Faculty of Science
  • Minelle Mahtani - Senior Advisor to the Provost on Racialized Faculty and Associate Professor, Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, Faculty of Arts
  • Margaret Moss - Director, First Nations House of Learning and Associate Professor, First Nations House of Learning and School of Nursing
  • Janice Stewart - Undergraduate Program Chair, Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice

Staff

  • Kat Cureton - Engagement Strategist, Community Engagement
  • Aftab Erfan - Director, Dialogue & Conflict Engagement, UBC Equity & Inclusion Office
  • Kele Fleming - Associate Director, Teaching and Learning Professional Development, Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology
  • Louise Griep – Engagement Strategist, Equity & Inclusion Office
  • Debbie Harvie - Managing Director, University Community Services
  • Carole Jolly - Director, Community Development & Engagement, Campus + Community Planning
  • Janet Mee - Director, The Centre for Accessibility
  • Shirley Nakata - Ombudsperson, Office of the Ombudsperson for Students
  • Catherine Pitman - Director, Workplace Engagement & Communications, UBC Human Resources
  • Heather Robertson - Executive Director, Student Health & Wellbeing
  • Michelle Suderman - Director International Student Development Vancouver
  • Kavie Toor - Director, Facilities & Business Development, UBC Athletics and Recreation

Review Background and Consultation Materials

The following background documents are available to help you get more informed about current state of inclusion at UBC.