Recruitment & retention
Attract, advance, and retain students, staff, faculty, librarians and senior leadership from systemically and historically marginalized communities.
Why?
During the plan’s creation, UVic community members confirmed that diversity must be a priority. Their feedback suggests that current efforts are not enough to increase representation in all campus populations and positions. New strategies are needed to ensure everyone has opportunities to advance and thrive at UVic.
Committed actions
- Establish comprehensive employee recruitment, hiring and retention strategies at all levels that include: demographic targets, timelines, advancement processes, transparency mechanisms and ongoing commitments and resources.* Lead: All portfolios
- Establish a comprehensive student recruitment strategy that includes: demographic targets, timelines, transparency mechanisms and ongoing commitments and resources to recruit and retain.* Lead: All portfolios
- Build mentorship and sponsorship programs to support employees and students from systemically and historically marginalized communities to advance into positions of leadership.* Lead: All portfolios
- Build grade school (K-12) through university outreach programs and strengthen pathways programs to encourage systemically and historically marginalized groups to consider and thrive in post-secondary education.* Lead: VP Academic & Provost
- Expand opportunities to provide priority admissions to Indigenous and other systemically and historically marginalized students by reviewing student admission requirements. Lead: VP Academic & Provost
- Develop guidelines, under the terms of the Faculty Collective Agreement, to recognize the student support work done by faculty from systemically and historically marginalized communities as university service. Lead: VP Academic & Provost
- Design and implement committee chair training as part of the Equity in Decision-Making Processes online training. Leads: VP Academic & Provost, Equity & Human Rights
- Develop and integrate criteria within all staff and faculty hiring processes that includes relevant expectations related to skills and commitment to advancing equity on campus. Leads: VP Academic & Provost, VP Finance & Operations
- Ensure UVic’s commitments to and resources (accommodations and supports) for students and employees with disabilities are featured in all academic and hiring recruitment materials. Leads: VP Academic & Provost, VP Finance & Operations
- Develop a collection of job description templates that are written in plain language, equity-centred and focused on skills. Lead: VP Finance & Operations
- Undertake a survey on faculty and staff housing needs and use this information to develop appropriate housing strategies. Lead: VP Finance & Operations
- Work with local municipalities to find creative housing opportunities including the potential of an on-campus housing strategy for employees and students. Leads: VP Finance & Operations, VP External Relations
- Embed equity, diversity and inclusion into research practices through diverse research teams, valuing research outcomes and mentoring early-career researchers. Lead: VP Research and Innovation
Barriers & targeted actions
| Barriers | Targeted actions |
|---|---|
| Hiring and advancement practices do not adequately account for inherent biases of individuals in positions of power (e.g., department chairs) or the power dynamics of the committee structure. As a result, policies concerning equitable hiring processes are undermined. | Action 7: Design and implement committee chair training as part of the Equity in Decision-Making Processes online training. Leads: VP Academic & Provost, Equity & Human Rights |
|
Employment practices do not adequately consider retention of faculty, librarians and/or staff from systemically and historically marginalized groups. As a result, UVic continues to struggle with increasing representation across all units and employee classifications. Follow up with unsuccessful job applicants to provide feedback is inconsistent or non-existent. This reinforces expectations of the ideal professional fit and limits opportunities for future applications/success. |
Action 1: Establish comprehensive employee recruitment, hiring and retention strategies at all levels that include: demographic targets, timelines, transparency mechanisms and ongoing commitments and resources.* Lead: All portfolios |
| The lack of affordable housing for students and employees is affecting recruitment and retention efforts. As a result, targeted student recruitment or limited/preferential hiring strategies may not be successful. |
Action 11: Undertake a survey on faculty and staff housing needs and use this information to develop appropriate housing strategies. Lead: VP Finance & Operations Action 12: Work with local municipalities to find creative housing opportunities including the potential of an on-campus housing strategy for employees and students. Lead: VP Finance & Operations, VP External Relations |
|
Staff job descriptions are often difficult to read, emphasize credentials and years of experience over skills and adaptability and include inconsistent details. This limits who may be considered "qualified" for the position. Faculty job recruitment processes prioritize a traditional (and colonial) academic resume (e.g., publications, conference presentations, grants, etc.). This limits who may be considered "qualified" for the position. |
Action 10: Develop a collection of job description templates that are written in plain language, equity-centred and focussed on skills. Lead: VP Finance & Operations |
*Adapted from the Scarborough Charter
What's next
Ready to take action?
- Learn how units, departments and faculties can be part of advancing the actions listed above in the Implementation Framework and Toolkit
- Learn how you can put this goal into action as a UVic student, employee, educator, researcher or campus leader in the Reflection and Action Guides
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