Announcing The Vice-Provost of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Dr. Smith is currently Vice Dean in the Faculty of Arts and has held academic leadership roles as Department Chair and Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. Since 2019, she has served as the Lead for the Faculty of Arts on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. In that role, she led the Faculty in an EDI strategic planning process, developed recruitment policies and governance revisions.

Dr. Smith received her PhD in Germanic Languages and Literatures as well as a Graduate Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research is located at the intersection of feminist activism, creative production and digital culture.

In her new role, Dr. Smith says that the work ahead will be about “conversations and listening, reciprocity and relations, collaboration and action. Equity, diversity and inclusion touch on every single portfolio and every single activity on our campus. This means not only understanding the institutional barriers and gaps, but also making visible the excellence with respect to equity that is already thriving here, and connecting that work up for greater visibility and impact.”

After the University Strategic Plan is complete, one of her goals is to refresh the University of Alberta EDI strategic plan, working closely with the Vice-Provost, Indigenous Programming and Research, to ensure that the refresh is led by the recently launched Indigenous Strategic Plan. "This renewal must be done with clarity of shared purpose, must be anti-racist in scope, inclusive in action, and be part and parcel of the greater strategic planning processes. But just as important, it must be inspiring, be user-friendly, and lead to outcomes worth celebrating. By pairing individual action with institutional action, we can work toward making systemic change as One University.”

Dr. Smith will report to the Deputy Provost (Academic), and her portfolio will include Helping Individuals At Risk, the Office of Safe Disclosure & Human Rights, the Sexual Violence Response Coordinator, and the Senior Advisor on Equity and Human Rights.

Additional key priorities include: advancing racial justice initiatives in partnership with campus leaders; supporting well-being and inclusion of all students as the population grows; championing hiring and retention of faculty and staff from underrepresented equity-deserving groups; and addressing accessibility and universal design in built and virtual environments.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Smith on her appointment.

Dr. Verna Yiu, Interim Provost and Vice-president (Academic)
Dr. Kathryn G. Todd, Deputy Provost (Academic)

Note: Dr. Smith will continue in her role as Vice Dean of Arts through Dec. 31, 2022