Santa Ono's Letter to the Community — Update: Addressing issues of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

UBC remains deeply committed to tackling issues of equity, diversity and inclusion in our core academic mission and to identifying and addressing gaps in supporting racialized students, faculty and staff to succeed.  An inclusive university is one which actively confronts and overcomes systemic barriers faced by different groups and enables everyone to realize their full potential. With this in mind, I want to provide our community members with an update on some steps that have been taken to address these important issues.

This past summer, UBC committed to tackling the pervasiveness of systemic racism. We know that when any population on campus does not feel included, respected, and engaged, it impacts their experience and their capacity to change the world.

We have recently created a new position, Senior Advisor to the President on Race and Inclusive Excellence. University faculty members interested in this opportunity are encouraged to learn more:  https://ubctoday.ubc.ca/news/october-10-2020/call-applications-senior-advisor-president-race-and-inclusive-excellence. We have also seen a broader commitment across both campuses to hire more Indigenous, Black and People of Colour (IBPOC) faculty. The university is also continuing to work actively on a wide range of institutional initiatives guided by the Inclusion Action Plan which has key intersections with the Indigenous Strategic Plan. But much more still needs to be done. Following our clear commitments to address systemic racism this summer, I believe it is critical to create a strong connection between our community members – particularly those community members who have faced historic, persistent and systemic marginalization – and the most senior executives in my administration.

That’s why I’m pleased to announce today the appointment of Ainsley Carry, Vice-President, Students, and Ananya Mukherjee Reed, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Okanagan as Co-Executive Leads for Anti-Racism. As senior administrators, they will provide a critical bridge between the UBC Executive and our IBPOC community members.

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