The StEAR Framework, including the StEAR Roadmap for Change, is designed to accelerate the achievement of institutional-level equity and anti-racism priorities.
In September of 2022, the Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism (StEAR) Framework was introduced to guide UBC’s approach to the implementation of institutional equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) priorities.
I am now pleased to announce the release of the StEAR Roadmap for Change, a substantive component of the Framework that includes a detailed set of objectives and strategic actions to be implemented over the next three to five years.
The Equity & Inclusion Office developed the roadmap through an extensive analysis of UBC’s existing EDI-related plans and recommendation reports. The roadmap contains 18 objectives and numerous strategic actions across the four domains of change identified in the framework: structural, curricular, compositional and interactional.
You can learn more about the StEAR Framework and the StEAR Roadmap for Change at https://equity.ubc.ca/StEAR.
Next steps
To support the implementation of the roadmap, a governance model provides an accountability structure: Implementation Teams to drive efforts and an Implementation Committee comprising the leads of Implementation Teams and reporting to the Executive Liaison Team comprising Executive Sponsors. The model also defines lines of communication for consultation and engagement of campus community groups representing historically, persistently or systemically marginalized students, faculty and staff.
Work to constitute implementation teams is underway.
Resources, such as engagement tools and funding, are also being made available to students, faculty and staff.
The StEAR Framework website will continue to be updated and refined to reflect the progress of our work.
Acknowledgements
There has been a tremendous amount of thought leadership and practical effort from historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized UBC communities and from distributed equity leads across the university to advance EDI. There are also units that have demonstrated exemplary initiatives and results across both campuses. This work is to be commended.
The StEAR Framework and the StEAR Roadmap are designed to accelerate the achievement of institutional-level priorities that will further enable university-wide progress and are not intended to supplant unit-level or community-led work. Our success with implementation will depend on our ability to continue to build campus-wide capacity and optimize resources to support and sustain central, unit-level and community-engaged efforts into the future.
I am grateful to the EIO team, campus EDI champions, and historically marginalized groups for their unwavering commitment and efforts that have led to the development of the framework and the roadmap.
I also thank Deborah Buszard, UBC President and Vice-Chancellor, Lesley Cormack, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal, UBC Okanagan, Gage Averill, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Vancouver and Rehan Sadiq, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Okanagan for their ongoing commitment to advancing this work. Please see their appreciations and words of encouragement below.
Arig al Shaibah
Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion
Leadership endorsement
“I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the Equity & Inclusion Office team, campus EDI champions, and historically marginalized groups for their unwavering commitment and efforts that have led to the introduction of the Framework, which will guide UBC towards becoming a more equitable and inclusive community.”
Deborah Buszard
President and Vice-Chancellor, UBC
“The StEAR Framework is designed to bring coherence and momentum to our efforts to make UBC a leader in radically inclusive and equitable practices, and I encourage all of our community members to engage authentically and with accountability to help move us forward.”
Gage Averill
Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Vancouver
“I am truly inspired by and thankful for the Equity & Inclusion Office team and the many EDI champions across the university. Their dedicated work towards creating equitable opportunities and a welcoming, warm environment for systemically marginalized groups is invaluable to the UBCO community and will drive necessary and important changes across the university.”
Lesley Cormack
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal, UBC Okanagan
“Thank you to the many people who have contributed to the development of the StEAR Framework, as well as those undertaking unit-level work aligned with the framework and in support of UBC’s equity, diversity and inclusion plans and reports – together we are building a more inclusive and equitable UBC. “
Rehan Sadiq
Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Okanagan