News

The Office of the VP for Equality & Diversity is seeking applications for the 2017/18 Aurora women-only leadership development programme. Applications must be completed and submitted to VPEqualityandDiversity@nuigalway.ie by 5pm on Monday, 02 October 2017. The outcome will be communicated to all applicants by Thursday, 12 October 2017. If you have further questions or need an application form please contact VPEqualityandDiversity@nuigalway.ie

Please note that the Aurora women-only leadership development programme will be offered in Dublin in 2017/18 for a fourth year running commencing on Thursday 30 November 2017. Workshop Dates -  Dublin Thursday 30 November 2017 Thursday 25 January 2018 Thursday 23 February 2018 Thursday 15 March 2018 Thursday 12 April 2018  The Office of the VP for Equality & Diversity will seek applications in early September. In the meantime, see our website for further details on the programme.

The OVPED and partners produced an excellent programme of events for International Women’s Week March 6 – 10th 2017 with something on offer for all: March 6th             "Full STEAM Ahead: Engineering for All" event to celebrate Women in STEMM and to mark the renaming of the Engineering Building the “Alice Perry Engineering Building”. This event was in collaboration with the CoEI and Ms Caroline Spillane, Director General, Engineers Ireland and included: an interactive exhibition aimed at second level students, organised by colleagues in CoEI; a roundtable discussion: Supporting engineering talent and diversity for a better society; and the formal renaming event. Venue: Ground floor, Alice Perry Engineering Building.  March 7th             “Making a Difference” TedEx Event sponsored by the University Women's Network. Venue: Siobhan McKenna Lecture Theatre March 8th             INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY Keynote Lecture: “Inclusivity in the workplace: key to success” Ms Margot Slattery, Country Manager Sodexo, Ireland, and Ms Meg Horsburg, Head of D&I for Sodexo UK       March 9th             Wikipedia Editathon Event “Who are the missing Women on Wikipedia” organised by Dr Sharon Flynn, Assistant Director, CELT and Dr Rachel Hilliard, Chair of the UWN with support from Wikimedia Community Ireland. Venue: Engineering Lab - Ground Floor of Alice Perry Engineering building “Bring your Whole Self to Work” LGBT networking event in collaboration with TCD LGBT Staff Network and AMACH, Galway.

The Vice President for Equality & Diversity has now finalised the Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) to ensure implementation of the Task Force recommendations as outlined in the Final Report. The plan was approved by UMT at its meeting on 20 September 2016 and subsequently by Údarás na hOllscoile on 1 November 2016. You can read details of the Gender Equality Action Plan, and see progress made on each of the actions on the OVPED website.

NUI Galway ‘s Governing Authority, Údarás na hOllscoile, today welcomed the publication of the Final Report issued by the Task Force on Gender Equality chaired by Professor Jane Grimson. The Final Report contains 24 evidence-based recommendations which are aimed at promoting gender equality at NUI Galway. Údaras na hOllscoile unanimously adopted the Final Report at the meeting and mandated the newly appointed Vice-President for Equality & Diversity to develop an Implementation Plan to be brought to Údaras in Autumn of this year. The Final Report will be published in the next week.

Following a meeting of Údarás na hOllscoile/the Governing Authority on Friday (February 26th), the University announced that Professor Anne Scott has been appointed as Vice-President for Equality and Diversity. This is the first appointment of its kind in an Irish University. Professor Scott is currently Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health and Community in Liverpool John Moores University. She has worked as an academic and academic leader in the Scottish, Irish and currently the English Higher Education Systems. She held the post of Head of the School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University (2000-2006) where she led the development of BSc, MSc and PhD programmes in the school, in addition to founding and developing a vibrant culture of research and scholarship. In February 2006 Professor Scott was appointed Deputy President and Registrar of DCU, a post which she held until late 2012. During this time she led many initiatives across DCU including a review of the academic promotions process; the development of the e-learning roadmap; and the graduate attributes project for the university. She has a proven track record of transformational leadership in academic environments in both Ireland and the UK, working at senior levels, to bring balance to strategic decision making and insight into the organisational culture and concerns of colleagues. Professor Scott is an active mentor for the Aurora women only leadership development programme in the UK; she was recognised by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) through the Ireland’s Most Powerful Women: Top 25 Awards for her leadership in public service; she has also mentored emerging women leaders and high potentials via the WXN. In welcoming the appointment, Dr Jim Browne, President of NUI Galway, said: “I am delighted to announce this appointment today at NUI Galway and I very much look forward to welcoming Professor Scott to this new role which will lead on addressing issues of equality and diversity across the University.” The position of VP for Equality & Diversity has been established by the University following the establishment of a Task Force on Gender Equality by the University’s Governing Body in February 2015 with the remit ‘To consider the University’s present gender mix among staff, including academic and support staff, and advise the University what measures it should take and over what timescale to develop effective gender equality’. This new post reflects the University’s commitment to transformational change. The Vice President will lead this change to ensure that equality of opportunity is provided to every member of staff as well as developing and implementing a strategy that establishes the University as an exemplar of best practice in the area. In its first report of June 2015 the Task Force, led by Trinity College Dublin’s former Vice Provost, Professor Jane Grimson, submitted four major recommendations to the University’s Governing Authority. With the appointment of Professor Anne Scott all of the four recommendations made in June 2015 have now been implemented: The establishment of a new position of Vice President of Equality and Diversity. Professor Anne Scott has been appointed to this role. All major influential committees should be comprised of a minimum of 40% women and 40% men by the end of 2016, including the University Management Team (UMT), Academic Management Team (AMT) and all promotions committees and interview boards. Gender quotas were applied to recent elections to the Governing Authority, and the new Governing Authority will re-constitute its committees to see this cascade to all committees. Ensure mandatory unconscious bias training for all senior staff. Since September over 160 members of the university leadership have completed this training, including President, Registrar and Deputy President, Vice-Presidents, Deans, Heads of School, Chairs of Committees and interview boards and all other senior decision-makers. External review of all promotion and progression policies and procedures within the University for all grades of staff by external expert in respect of gender equality. This review is now complete and its findings will be published shortly.