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Developing an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy for Ulster

EDI Strategy

Contents

3 Introduction

4 Section 1: EDI and you

6 Section 2: Key equality challenges

16 Section 3: Key EDI drivers

19 Section 4: Strategic ambitions

21 Section 5: Priorities

22 Section 6: Action plan

EDI Strategy2

EDI Strategy3

IntroductionThe University’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy aims to provide a framework for the delivery of EDI, in support of the University’s Strategic Plan and its Equality Scheme. Further to statutory requirements relating to policy development, it will place diversity and inclusion at the heart of our culture, supporting us in our endeavours to reflect the society we serve, as well as providing a barometer for excellence.

The strategy will take cognisance of existing supporting strategies, such as the ‘Internationalisation’, ‘Widening Access and Participation’, ‘Learning and Teaching’ and ‘Research and Impact’ strategies, and our Equality Scheme, without subsuming them. It will apply to, and be owned by all staff and students, irrespective of their equality/protected characteristics. Lead responsibility for implementing the strategy will lie with the University Secretary, with Council responsible for overseeing, monitoring and measuring the success of the strategy.

With this in mind, I would like to invite your views on the draft strategy and begin to develop ideas for actions to include within the EDI action plan. This should ensure that we create an effective overarching and interconnected strategy which focuses on continuous improvement and that our action plan reflects current discourse.

Please review each of the following sections within the draft strategy and answer the respective questions, as appropriate.

About you:

Your name:

Your job role:

Your Department/Faculty:

EDI Strategy4

The following definitions have been adopted for the purposes of this strategy:

Equality is about making sure people are treated fairly within the legislation. Equality is not about treating everyone in the same way, but it recognises that people have different needs and these can be met in different ways. Equality focuses on those areas covered by law that have been put in place to prevent people from being treated unfavourably on a range of specific factors, i.e. race, gender, disability, age, religious belief, political opinion, marital status, dependants, sexual orientation etc.

Diversity is about respecting and valuing difference in individuals. A diversity approach aims to recognise, value and manage difference in individuals and to positively strive to meet the needs of different people.

Diversity is the manifestation of all the ways in which people differ, and all the characteristics that make one individual or group different from another.

Section 1: EDI and you

Inclusion involves recognising difference, providing flexibility and choice not uniformity and treating everyone identically. For example, the Association of American Colleges and Universities describes inclusion as ‘the active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity – in people, in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) and which individuals might connect – in ways that increase one’s awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathetic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within value systems and institutions’.

EDI Strategy5

Q1: What is most important to you in terms of EDI?

Q2: How do you experience EDI in your daily work at Ulster?

EDI Strategy6

This section describes a selection of key equality challenges identified at different stages of the staff and student cycles. These focus on gender, race and disability. I have selected these particular challenges because they are common to Higher Education within the United Kingdom. However, our Equality Scheme demonstrates commitment to equality of opportunity for nine different categories of people. These are:

• persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation;

• men and women generally;

• persons with a disability and persons without; and

• persons with dependants and persons without.

Our equality data highlights the diversity of the University’s 2300+ staff and 24000+ students. Whilst our profile is broadly reflective of local/regional demographics, we see it as

Section 2: Key equality challenges

Our staff community

2391 staff across 4 campuses in Northern Ireland (incl. ADDL)

55%are

female

4%are

BME

5%declared a

disability

35%are between46-55yrs

being of significance that we are more diverse in terms of our Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) representation, especially given that our local community is often described as one torn by a history/culture of conflict. At 4% in 2016, this is double that of the Northern Ireland population (as described in the NI Census 2011).

EDI Strategy7

However, a closer look at the data highlights some of the key equality challenges facing the University. Occupational segregation is endemic within the staff community. For example, despite the fact that 55% of our staff are women, only 32% (54) of our professors and 27% (4) of senior officers are women. Worse still, 100% (11) of the BME professors are male, 100% of our senior officers are White and 99% of female professional and support staff are White.

For staff, our key challenge is to address the underrepresentation of women and BME staff in senior and non-traditional roles; to identify barriers to and within academia and address underlying causes (e.g. breaks in the student pipeline, academic flight, availability of flexible working opportunities, access to training and development, access to promotion opportunities, undervaluing some types of jobs, historical, cultural).

4%are

BME

60%of academic, research, technical, scientific and manual staff are male

5%declared

a disability

47%of disabled staff are

academic/research

35% are aged between

46-55 yrs

55%are

female

63%of professional

and support staff are white women

99%of female professional and support staff are

white

27% of senior staff

(SET) are female

7% of professors who are

32% of professors are female

5% of non-professorial academic staff are BME (69% of these are male)

0 are BME and female

BME

47% of non-professorial academic staff are

female


Source: CoreHR, EO data, 6 February 2016

63%

4%are

BME


5%declared

a disability


academic/research


46-55 yrs

55%are

female

63%of professional



white

27% of senior staff

(SET) are female





BME


female



4%are

BME


5%declared

a disability


academic/research


46-55 yrs

55%are

female

63%of professional



white

27% of senior staff

(SET) are female





BME


female



59%4%are

BME


5%declared

a disability


academic/research


46-55 yrs

55%are

female

63%of professional



white

27% of senior staff

(SET) are female





BME


female



(67.5% of these

4%are

BME


5%declared

a disability


academic/research


46-55 yrs

55%are

female

63%of professional



white

27% of senior staff

(SET) are female





BME


female



4%are

BME


5%declared

a disability


academic/research


46-55 yrs

55%are

female

63%of professional



white

27% of senior staff

(SET) are female





BME


female



4%are

BME


5%declared

a disability


academic/research


46-55 yrs

55%are

female

63%of professional



white

27% of senior staff

(SET) are female





BME


female



EDI Strategy8

Q3: What is your reaction to the staff data presented above? Were you surprised by what

has been uncovered, or have the issues observed been identified previously? How would you

explain these data?

Q4: In your opinion, what (if any) other staff data should be included in this section?

EDI Strategy9

Leaky Pipe Lines

4%are

BME

9% of students at first degree undergraduate level are disabled

12% of students at PG Research level are disabled

5%of staff declared a disability

7.5% of students at PG

level are disabled

8% of students at PG

Taught level are disabled

9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree

undergraduate students are

female

3% of students at first degree

undergraduate are BME

66% of PG Taught students are female

64% of PG students are female


7% of students at PG level are BME 5% of non

professorial academic staff are BME

13% of PG Research students

are BME

BME


female

24451 students across 4 campuses in Northern Ireland (incl. ADDL)

Source: Banner and CoreHR, EO data, 6 February 2016

7% of professors

are BME

4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME

Source: Banner and Core HR EO data, 6 February 2016

4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME

4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME

4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME

4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME

50% of PG Research students are female

Gender 4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME

4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME

5.8% of UG students

are from outside the UK (a decrease of 0.7

since 2010/11)

Our student communityOur student data indicates that there are leaks in our student pipeline (i.e. in student transitions). Whilst the representation of female students increases between undergraduate and postgraduate levels (from 54% to 64%), only 47% of non-professorial academic staff are female. Worse still, whilst student BME representation increases significantly between undergraduate and postgraduate levels, only 5% of non-professorial academic staff are BME.

Young women are now 35 per cent more likely to go to university than men. If this differential growth carries on unchecked, then girls born this year will be 75% more likely to go to university than their male peers. (HEPI Report 84, 2016).

The proportion of students disclosing as disabled has nearly doubled since 2003/04. Disability disclosure was lowest among postgraduate students.

(ECU Equality in Higher Education Statistical Report 2015),

There are substantial gaps in progression of white males from disadvantaged backgrounds to higher education. (The 2015 Higher Education Green paper, cited by ECU)

What we know

EDI Strategy10

4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME

Source: Banner and CoreHR EO data, 6 February 2016

Source: Banner and CoreHR EO data, 6 February 2016

4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME

4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME


4%are

BME





level are disabled



9%declared

a disability

71% are aged over

21 yrs

54%are

female

54% of first degree


female









are BME

BME


female



7% of professors

are BME

7.5% of students at PG level are disabled

8% of students at PG Taught are disabled


7% of students at PG level are BME

10% of PG Taught students are BME

Disability

BME

5% of non-professorial academic staff declared a disability

4% of professors declared a disability

EDI Strategy11

Q5: What is your reaction to the student data presented? Were you surprised by what has been

uncovered, or have the issues observed been identified previously? How would you explain these data?

Q6: In your opinion, what (if any) other student data should be included in this section?

EDI Strategy12

UK domiciled student attainment/achievement AY2014/15

Women generally achieve fewer first class degrees than men (ECU conference 2008)

62.9% of male students obtained a first class or 2:1 degree

Source: Banner

COMPARED

with 68.2% female

2.4% BME students

obtained a first class or 2:1 degree

1% BME UK domiciled students


with

63.8% white students

with

66.6% non-disabled students

COMPARED

COMPARED

COMPARED

with

21% BME Non-UK domiciled

58.6%of disabled students obtained a first class or 2:1

degree

62.9% of male students obtained a first class or 2:1 degree

Source: Banner

COMPARED

with 68.2% female

2.4% BME students


1% BME UK domiciled students


with

63.8% white students

with

66.6% non-disabled students

COMPARED

COMPARED

COMPARED

with

21% BME Non-UK domiciled

58.6%of disabled students obtained a first class or 2:1

degree

56.9% BME students obtained a first class or 2:1 degree with

White students

Source: Banner

Key equality challenges also persist in relation to academic achievement/success. Within our UK domiciled student community, female students outperform male students when it comes to achieving a ‘good degree’ (i.e. a first class or 2:1 degree) (i.e. a gender attainment gap).

In AY2014/15, UK domiciled White students and non-UK domiciled BME students both outperformed UK domiciled BME students (i.e. an ethnicity attainment gap).

While overall proportions receiving a First or 2:1 have increased over the last 8 years, there continues to be a considerable gap between the proportion of white British students receiving these degree classifications compared to UK-domiciled students from minority ethnic groups. This degree attainment gap has remained nearly static over the last ten years. In 2012/13, 57.1% of UK-domiciled BME students received a top degree, compared with 73.2% of White British students – a gap of 16.1%.(ECU Webpage 2016)

Graduates with disabilities tend to do slightly less well than those without reported disabilities.(HEFCE Report 2015/21)

What we know

51.2%

EDI Strategy13

Q7: What is your reaction to the student attainment data presented? Were you surprised by what has been

uncovered, or have the issues observed been identified previously? How would you explain these data?

EDI Strategy14

UK domiciled student leavers AY 2014/15 in full-time employment

In terms of employment, our Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2014/15 Survey suggests only small differences exist between the proportions of UK domiciled male and female, and disabled and non-disabled leavers in employment after 6 months (i.e. they are employed in almost equal rates). However, there is marked disparity between the proportions of UK domiciled BME and White leavers in employment after 6 months.

43.57% of allmale UK domiciled leaversreported that they were in full timeemployment after 6 months

Source: Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2014/15 Survey

COMPAREDwith 41.87% of all female

UK domiciled BME leavers

60.84%of all UK domiciled leavers

completed the 2014/15Destination Leavers Survey

47.5% of all white UK domiciled leaversreported that they were in full-time

employment after 6 months

70% reported that they were infull-time employment 6 monthsafter leaving

with

42.85% of all UK non-disabled leavers

OF THOSE, COMPARED

COMPARED

with 8.98% of allUK domiciled BME leavers

39.52%of all disabled UK domiciled

leavers reported that they were in full-time employment

after 6 months

with of all

39.5%

42.9%

43.57% of allmale UK domiciled leavers reported that they were in full time employment after 6 months

Source: Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2014/15 Survey

COMPAREDwith 41.87% of all female

UK domiciled BME leavers

60.84%of all UK domiciled leavers

completed the 2014/15 Destination Leavers Survey

47.5%of all white UK domiciled leaversreported that they were in full-time

employment after 6 months

70% reported that they were in full-time employment 6 monthsafter leaving

with

42.85% of allUK non-disabled leavers

OF THOSE, COMPARED

COMPARED

with 8.98% of allUK domiciled BME leavers

39.52%of all disabled UK domiciled

leavers reported that theywere in full-time employment

after 6 months

60.8%

41.9%

43.6%

For students, our key challenge is to explain why these differences in student transitions/ academic progression, degree attainment and employment outcome are occurring; to identify what we are doing well so that we can address underlying causes (e.g. examine the link between ‘discipline’, student transitions and attainment).

Whilst we are unique by context, our key equality challenges are no different to those of the Higher Education (HE) sector in the UK in general.

EDI Strategy15

Q8: What is your reaction to the student leavers data presented? Were you surprised by what has

been uncovered, or have the issues observed been identified previously? How would you explain

these data?

Q9: In your opinion, what (if any) other key equality challenges should be included in this section?

EDI Strategy16

Our vision – ‘shaping futures’: As Northern Ireland’s Civic University, Ulster University will deliver outstanding research and teaching that encourages the innovation, leadership and vision needed to help Northern Ireland thrive.

Our mission: Grounded in the heart of the community Ulster University will deliver an educational journey that will:• Deliver globally significant research with local relevance• Encourage a diverse university community• Transform lives, stretch minds, develop skills and raise ambitions• Make a positive contribution to society as a whole.

This section positions the strategy within the University context and identifies key EDI drivers.

Our aim is to ensure that every student and member of staff has the opportunity and encouragement to excel within a supportive and welcoming environment; that their lives are enriched by their experience of different cultures, beliefs and values. We hope that by recognising, respecting and valuing these differences, and adopting more diverse perspectives, our staff and students can become effective local and global citizens and be ambassadors for the University. We recognise that EDI is central to achieving excellence throughout all of our functions, shaping staff and student experience. As such, EDI is already enshrined in our core values, our vision, our mission, our strategic plan, strategic priorities and our policies. These are our key EDI drivers.

Section 3: Key EDI drivers

Strategic plan, Strategic

priorities

Our values:We value:• integrity, which means we are respectful• spirit, which means we are inspiring• living knowledge, which means we are relevant• unity, which means we are collaborative• openness, which means we are engaging• fresh-thinking, which means we are pioneering.

EDI Strategy17

Our policies: Equality of opportunity is currently promoted and distributed through a number of interlocking policy strands:

• Equality Scheme and action plan - promoting equality of opportunity and good relations• Disability action plan - promoting positive attitudes towards disabled people and encouraging their participation in public life• Article 55 Affirmative Action programme – ensuring fair participation in relation to community background

• Learning and Teaching Strategy - providing a supportive environment, in which innovative approaches to learning, teaching and leadership are encouraged, recognised, valued and rewarded, for all staff and students in the University

• Research and Impact Strategy - focusing and deepening our contribution to the economic, social and cultural development of Northern Ireland and its global standing

This list is not exhaustive. Monitoring our staff and student data is also fundamental to ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion at Ulster. It is a requirement of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland that we use our equal opportunities monitoring data to inform the development of policies, to embed, or ‘mainstream’ equality.

Our strategic priorities:• Civic contribution• Academic excellence • Global vision• Operational excellence

• SU Good Relations Policy and action plan – promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group• Race equality action plan - improving the representation, progression and success of BME staff and students• Athena SWAN action plan – supporting and developing the careers of women in STEM at Ulster• Internationalisation Strategy and action plan – ensuring diversity in curriculum and pedagogy • Widening Access and Participation Strategy - ensuring access to higher education by students from those groups which are currently under-represented, in particular students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with disabilities and learning difficulties

EDI Strategy18

Q10: Are there any other key EDI drivers that you think should be included? Have I missed anything?

EDI Strategy19

This section proposes three strategic ambitions to support the general theme ‘Inclusive campuses’. The EDI strategy provides a unified/cohesive institutional framework for inclusion, assimilating and reconciling existing equality work with local legislative requirements. It takes into consideration the current University context and demographics, higher education equality trends, and feedback from staff/students on how they perceive EDI in the workplace. The EDI strategy has three ambitions. These are to:1. encourage and engage the most diverse perspectives; • embed equality, diversity and inclusion in delivering our key strategic objectives/our vision and mission.

2. deliver fair access, equality of opportunity and enhance participation; • ensure an exceptional staff and student experience for all • embed equality and diversity in staff and student recruitment • engender work-life balance, encourage flexible/ alternative working patterns • consider the relationship between policy and career trajectories - inspire success.

Section 4: Strategic ambitions

3. nurture/cultivate an enriched environment where any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported and valued; • recognise the value of each individual, enabling and supporting them to achieve their maximum potential • build mutual respect between individuals and groups based on understanding and valuing of diversity, and on shared respect for equality - ‘a place for everyone’, ‘one Ulster’ • inspire a greater sense of cohesion/belonging/ community - enhance networking and consultation opportunities to enable individuals to express views without fear of retribution, to support our ‘shared’ future.

Creating inclusive campuses19

EDI Strategy20

Q11: Is this the best way to articulate the strategic ambitions for the strategy? How would you articulate

these differently?

Q12. Are there any other strategic ambitions that you think should be included?

Q13: Are there any other indicators of inclusion you think should be considered? Have I missed anything?

In developing the strategic ambitions, I considered the main indicators of inclusion to be:• Transitions (i.e. entry, the student journey, breaks in

the student pipeline, the staff journey, academic flight)• Quality of experience (i.e. support provided)• Achievement (i.e. attainment)

EDI Strategy21

This section proposes five key priorities, which are presented in no particular order, which should assist us to realise our strategic ambitions.

To support these, the following priorities have been agreed:

• Identify, acknowledge and address (unconscious) bias in the workplace - introduce mandatory unconscious bias training for all staff• Address gender role segregation within the institution - Review/improve attitudes and experiences to promotion for academic and professional support staff • Advance race equality at Ulster and build intercultural awareness - Improve the representation, progression and success of BME staff and students - Support international staff and students (actions other than those included in Internationalisation strategy)

• Develop smarter evidence of equality gaps to guide us to effective change/continuous improvement - Recognise the range of needs of our diverse student population and integrate them

Section 5: Priorities

Creating inclusive campuses

into governance and practice of student education (Leeds) - Develop and present an Annual EDI report to Council - Increase the variety of key equality data available internally and on our website

• Continue to meet statutory requirements relating to equality of opportunity and good relations

Q14: Please tell us what you think about the priorities proposed. Are

these the right priorities to help us realise our strategic ambitions? Are

there other priorities that you think should be included? Are there areas

we have over-emphasized?

Q15: What do you consider should be the main priority?

EDI Strategy22

The EDI action plan is designed to facilitate SMART, ‘evidence based’ planning and policy development and provide a structure for assessing effectiveness in addressing our key equality challenges and priorities.

I anticipate that this action plan will subsume the University’s Equality Scheme Action Plan, which expires in 2017.

The data we have provided in this document suggests the following inequalities exist at Ulster University:

• An underrepresentation of women and BME staff in senior and non-traditional roles (job segregation); and

• Differences in student transitions/academic progression, degree attainment and employment outcome for students (leaks in our student pipeline).

Section 6: EDI Action plan

Q16: What do you perceive to be the key EDI challenges for your area?

(e.g. bias at recruitment, under or over-representation of specific group, increased representation of a specific group, promotion opportunities, academic flight, high attrition rates for specific

groups, accessibility, reasonable adjustments, attainment.)

Q17: How are your area’s EDI challenges and objectives articulated within other related

existing strategy action plans? (e.g. insert extract from respective Strategy/action

plan or link to Strategy/action plan.)

EDI Strategy23

EDI Action Template

Key EDI challenge (i.e. where you are now) Action to address the EDI challenge

What success will look like/success measure

(i.e. where you hope to be)Timescale(Year 1,2,3)

Department/ Person responsible

(include job title)

Priority(1=low, 5=high)

Student

Staff

We have provided a template to assist you to answer this question. Ifyou include more than one action, please rank each in terms of priorityon a scale of 1-5 (where 1 = low priority, 5 = high priority).

Q18: Without duplicating actions already included in other action plans, what action(s) would you include in the EDI action plan to address the key equality challenge(s) relating to staff and students within your area?

EDI Strategy24

Q19: Please use this space for any other comments relating to EDI.

What happens next Your feedback will be used to inform a further ‘Stage 2’ consultation exercise. At Stage 2 we will focus specifically on developing and refining the action plan.

Thank-you for your participation and your feedback. If you would like further information about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Ulster, please go to: ulster.ac.uk/aboutus/governance/equality-diversity

EDI Strategy25

For further information please contact:

Angela GettyEquality & Legal ManagerRoom 02H15ACromore RoadColeraine campusCo. LondonderryBT52 1SAT: +44 (0)28 9036 8869

Please save, rename and forward this file to:

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