Supporting diverse prospective graduate students through a mentorship program in the Department of Psychology
The program was inspired based on research that has found that a good mentor is one of the key predictors of success in the field of Psychology, both academically and professionally. Leadership chose this particular program to increase diversity within the field and to support students as they navigate the stressful and complicated process of applying to graduate school, while at the same time increasing the EDI knowledge and skills of the current members of the department who participated in the program as mentors.
Building a more inclusive Arts Co-operative Education Program
In summer 2019, the program piloted an early version of the EIO’s Inclusion Self-Assessment Tool, which provided a foundation to launch further EDI initiatives in the years that followed.
Working with students to systematically address EDI at the UBC Wellness Centre
The Wellness Centre considers EDI a foundational part of promoting student wellbeing, however they wanted a more systematized way to address EDI in their work. The Wellness Centre has various student ambassador programs and decided to use the EIO’s Inclusion Self-Assessment Tool (ISAT) with students in their peer volunteer programs as a way to give the students dedicated time to learn about EDI as well as increasing students’ sense of belonging in the Centre.
Incorporating EDI into the faculty merit process at the School of Biomedical Engineering
The University of British Columbia’s School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) has a Respect, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Committee composed of faculty, staff, and students that meets monthly. As a new School, the School Director and the SBME leadership has worked to instill EDI as a part of the School’s culture from its beginnings. The SBME embarked on an initiative to promote EDI within their faculty to combat the historical under-representation of women, and other minorities, in engineering.
Engaging alumni to build a more diverse student body in the Department of Computer Science
The Committee for Outreach, Diversity, and Equity (CODE) has sought to incorporate EDI values into the department outreach process to increase enrollment of women and marginalized groups in the department. For the purpose of this case study, the focus will be on UBC’s computer science department’s implementation and success with alumni engagement.
Engaging faculty to embed equity, diversity, and inclusion in the Department of Civil Engineering
EDI has become increasingly important to the department’s agenda, especially considering changes to Tri-Agency grants that require researchers to incorporate EDI into their research . As part of this, the department sought to identify EDI-specific needs and areas for improvement, and wanted to ensure a transparent process in gathering input and strategies around EDI.