MacEwan University, located on Treaty Six Territory, is committed to creating and sustaining equitable and inclusive practices and policies which foster a welcoming, inclusive and diverse teaching, learning and working environment.
We encourage and include diverse perspectives, understanding that a well-rounded undergraduate education can inspire people to reach new and greater heights.
At the core of this is our goal of inclusive excellence. We define inclusive excellence as the implementation and integration of equity, diversity and inclusion in our classrooms, research and administration. This concept is woven through everything we do and is a key element in our strategic vision, Teaching Greatness.
We are learning from persons most impacted by noninclusive practices to guide our actions. This commitment will require cultural shifts at all levels of the organization and will occur over time.
These cultural shifts are further inspired and influenced by our location in the municipal ward of O-day’min. With our active commitment to inclusive excellence, we aim to honour our place in the ward – and to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.
Defining equity, diversity and inclusion
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives have been launched across Canadian universities to address the disparity in opportunities that exist among the many groups of people in Canada. To understand what these initiatives entail, we will need to understand each of these terms.
Investigate the terms below and discover the expectations for these words here at MacEwan, as well as some of the steps we’re taking to ensure that they are being put into action on campus.
Equity is the fair and respectful treatment of all people and involves creating opportunities and reducing disparities. While equality focuses on equal treatment, equity recognizes that in order to overcome pre-existing and systemic barriers, different levels of support and treatment are required so that every member of the community has fair access to opportunities and resources.
We believe that our staff and faculty should reflect our student body, as well as Edmonton as a whole. The video below demonstrates how we’re shaping our hiring process to ensure that our employees are representative of our community, and every applicant is given equitable treatment.
Diversity encompasses the unique traits that individuals possess and describes the presence of differences within any demographic mix. It can be understood through:
- Inherent Diversity – Race, gender, sexual orientation, disability
- Acquired Diversity – Diversity of thought, cross-cultural communication, language, social skills
We believe that these differences should be celebrated. Watch the video below to find out more about our initiatives to encourage diversity, including our self-reporting feature in PeopleSoft.
Inclusion is the shared responsibility of the community to ensure that all individuals are valued and respected for their contributions, have a sense of belonging, and feel welcome within the community.
We support inclusion at MacEwan through events like Pride Week, initiatives through our Office of Human Rights and our Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity.
Watch the video below to hear student experiences from some of these initiatives and centres on campus.
EDI initiatives
At MacEwan, we are creating equitable, diverse and inclusive learning and teaching environments. We are establishing and setting policy to support inclusive excellence.
EDI accelerator team
We have established a consultative body, the EDI accelerator team, to advise the university on EDI initiatives across the university. Our EDI accelerator team consists of members of the MacEwan community with expertise in specific areas of EDI. Their knowledge helps them to implement EDI-related programs and initiatives across campus.
They are providing training and coaching opportunities to ensure that staff and faculty are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to support EDI efforts and issues. The accelerator team also aims to create resources to educate students in relation to EDI, freedom of expression, instructor academic freedom and understanding language which will help students develop competencies to engage in academic discourse where multiple viewpoints are discussed and aid in developing thought leadership in our graduates.
EDI across MacEwan
Check the areas below for more information about some of the centres and departments on campus that are committed to helping students, staff and faculty succeed in all areas of their journeys at MacEwan. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and there may be other resources on our Diversity & Inclusion site or in applicable departments on MacEwan.ca.
Staff and student diversity
The following reports show the results of two surveys: a 2021 survey that collected information on employee diversity and a 2019 student survey designed to gauge diversity and inclusion perceptions.
EMPLOYEE DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY report
WELCOMING & INCLUSIVENESS STUDENT SURVEY
Our students and staff also have the opportunity to self-report their demographics and communities on PeopleSoft, accessible through their MacEwan Portal.
This data is collected and analyzed in order to assist in making informed, optimal decisions and to help in understanding gaps in terms of representation and inclusivity. We aim to ensure the demographics of the student body more closely reflect community, with greater participation from Indigenous and other historically under-represented learners.
News
Learn about human rights and campus initiatives undertaken by the MacEwan community. Read stories about diversity and equity on campus.