Integrated Action Planning

The Strategic Plan for Equity, Diversity & Inclusivity was released in 2019 and initiated work across our campuses to advance EDI at the department, faculty and unit levels. Insights gathered over the past four years are now guiding the creation of an integrated action plan, shaping our future work toward a more equitable university.

To ensure that our efforts align with our broader goals, we have established a Steering Committee tasked with developing an integrated EDI action plan that will complement and support SHAPE: The University Strategic Plan and be guided by Braiding Past, Present and Future: University of Alberta Indigenous Strategic Plan. Supported by the EDI Leads Network, the Steering Committee welcomes thoughts and ideas from the university community to imagine a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and accessible future.

Steering Committee

Carrie Smith - Chair, Vice-Provost (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion)

Evelyn Hamdon - Sr. Advisor, Equity & Human Rights

Andy Knight - Provost Fellow, Black Excellence & Leadership, and Distinguished Professor, Dept of Political Science

Danielle Peers - Canada Research Chair in Disability and Movement Cultures (SSHRC, Tier II), Academic Lead Equity Praxis and Systemic Ableism, Associate Professor (Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation)

Florence Glanfield - Vice-Provost (Indigenous Programming & Research), Professor of Mathematics Education, Dept of Secondary Education

Lihong Yang - Director, Office of Education, College of Health Sciences

Marcie Chisholm - AVP, HR, Health, Safety, and Environment

Pedro Almeida - UASU Vice President Academic

Sheena Wilson - Professor, Campus Saint-Jean - Academic Support

Tiffany Kung - GSA VP Student Life

Approach

As we navigate the challenges of the past few years and learn from our work–as captured in Stories from the Field– we look toward the future with critical hope. We aim to make equity an integral part of our working and learning culture, shifting from understanding EDI as something "in addition to" our core mission, but instead as "what we do." The key question we are addressing is: How do we shape equitable ecosystems that enable all U of A members to flourish collectively? This question forms the foundation of our integrated action plan for EDI.

Our action plan will draw from and unite equity, diversity, inclusion and access commitments across institutional and unit plans, ensuring that our strategic priorities are clear and dynamic. Benchmarks and measurable outcomes will be approached with integrity, focusing on meaningful progress rather than mere box-checking or virtue signaling.

Action Planning Principles

Our planning process is rooted in the following principles:

  • Centering Knowledge Holders: We prioritize discussions and objectives that center knowledge holders.
  • Robust Accessibility: We commit to ensuring accessibility throughout the planning process.
  • Shared Accountability: We identify specific responsibilities, communications, timelines, deliverables and entry points for actions across university roles.
  • Courageous Spaces: We create spaces for generative and imaginative conversations.
  • Multiple Options for Engagement: We offer multiple ways to engage, ensuring participation from all community members. Feedback shared will be held confidentially and securely.
  • Recognizing Generative Tensions: We acknowledge with curiosity tensions among elements of the work and decision points.

Collective Development

U of A students, faculty and staff were encouraged to consider the following questions in the consultations and provided feedback through group conversations, forums, email responses and google form, supported by the EDI Leads Network:

  • What excites you about the future of EDI at the U of A?
  • What keeps you up at night regarding EDI?
  • What urgent equity-related issues have you identified, and how might they be addressed?
  • What supports do you need to integrate equity and access principles into your sphere of influence?
  • If you are already implementing EDI-related actions, what challenges have you faced, and have you found solutions?
  • What promising practices have you experienced or seen elsewhere that might guide our considerations?
  • What other questions, interventions, or disruptions do you want to bring to our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access?
  • What additional considerations should the Steering Committee take into account as we approach the planning process?