In an effort to give students, faculty, and staff a better sense of belonging, Fanshawe College has unveiled a new strategic framework that focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
Dubbed 'A College Where We Belong', the new strategy is the culmination of a year-long process overseen by a 30-member task force of staff, students and administrators. The group is tasked with advising Fanshawe President Peter Devlin and the executive leadership team on equity, diversity and inclusion, consulting with equity-deserving communities, identifying core priorities and barriers, and presenting a vision for belonging at the post secondary institution's campuses.
“Belonging is at the core of Fanshawe’s mission to unlock potential,” said Devlin. “When we harness the power of EDI and anti-oppression frameworks, we unlock immense innovative potential for our work as a college and within our communities. We are a rich community of diverse students and employees. We are better because of our diverse identities.”
Six core priorities were identified in the new framework:
Belonging in our workplaces
Belonging in our classrooms
Belonging on our campuses
Belonging on our research teams
Belonging fostered by equity-informed supports
Belonging fostered by equity-informed leadership
"This strategic framework isn’t a starting point or an endpoint but rather a catalyst for furthering this work on our campuses," said Joseph Pazzano, Fanshawe’s director of equity, diversity, and inclusion. "These conversations are ones that equity-deserving groups have been having for a long time. Our communities are ready for deliberate action, and that’s what we intend to deliver with this framework.”
Over the coming months, the task force, college leaders, employees and students, will identify goals and projects to bring forward the priorities identified in the framework and create a multi-year action plan.
