Looking to the future of equity, diversity and inclusion at McMaster


Since she started at McMaster in April, Arig al Shaibah, McMaster’s first associate vice-president, Equity and Inclusion and adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology, has had a busy six months familiarizing herself with the campus and building relationships within the McMaster community.

al Shaibah, who holds a PhD in Cultural and Policy Studies from Queen’s, has been speaking with campus leaders and community members about the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion. “Creativity and innovation, which are fundamental to quality, cannot exit without diversity,” she says. “Diversity and quality, inclusion and excellence – these all depend on each other.”

Working with input and feedback from stakeholders across the university, al Shaibah – formerly the vice-provost, Student Affairs and acting executive director of Human Rights and Equity Services at Dalhousie University – has now developed an initial framework to help guide the creation of an overall equity, diversity and inclusion strategy for the university.

“To make meaningful progress we need to take a systemic view towards addressing equity, diversity and inclusion,” she says. “A variety of individual and institutional initiatives are needed, along with a commitment to a process of continuous improvement in order to shift the culture and achieve our goals.”

al Shaibah’s proposed framework includes four pillars which span all areas of the university, each of which has an overarching goal:

  • Institutional commitment and capacity, which involves leadership, governance and accountability;
  • Educational content and context, which will focus on teaching, learning and research;
  • Interactional capabilities and climate, which addresses attitudes, knowledge and skills; and
  • Compositional diversity and community engagement, which will ensure equity, access and success among members of our institution.

Now, al Shaibah is looking for feedback from the McMaster community to shape and finalize strategic actions. “We are going to be thinking about identifying strategic initiatives and measures to track our progress,” she says.

Some proposed initiatives include developing an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan; creating an inclusive-teaching handbook; expanding training and education opportunities; and launching an employment equity facilitator program.

al Shaibah will hold a series of town hall meetings, seeking input from faculty, staff and students. As they are scheduled, more information on the town hall sessions will be available on the Equity and Inclusion Office website.

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