Public disclosure

As part of living its I-CARE values (integrity, community, adaptability, respect, and excellence), Athabasca University is committed to Inclusive Excellence in teaching and learning, research, and service.

As a signatory to the Dimensions Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Charter, Athabasca University is committed to building research excellence through a research culture that welcomes, supports, and values research and researchers from diverse communities and perspectives.

The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan (approved March 2021) commits to specific actions to:

1. Ensure an equitable and inclusive research environment for traditionally minoritized groups such as women, Indigenous Peoples, people of colour, people with disabilities (visible and invisible), and LGBTQ2S+ people, recognizing the intersectionality of identities,
2. Enhance the recruitment and retention processes for the CRC program to increase representation of traditionally minoritized groups, and
3. Establish meaningful and culturally safe research environments in which the participating community, group or individual is a partner in decision-making during research.

Athabasca University’s commitment to Inclusive Excellence can only be realized with and through its whole community. Ensuring that the community is aware of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts is an ongoing process through:

1.  Joint executive sponsorship of EDI initiatives through the provost and vice-president academic and chief human resources officer,
2.  Institutional EDI committees such as the cross-institutional EDI Working Group and the EDI Champion Network,
3.  AU’s Canada Research Chairs committee, and
4.  Developing and recommending resources related to embedding EDI in research projects, such as those provided by Canada Research Chairs (CRC), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
5. Offering the Unconscious Bias Training to all staff.

The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan was approved by the president of Athabasca University. The associate vice-president research, deputy chief human resources officer, and associate vice-president academic resources have responsibility under the shared executive sponsorship of the provost and vice-president academic, and chief human resources officer to work with the AU community to deliver on the CRC EDI Action Plan.

Objectives and ongoing evaluation of the plan are coordinated through both the EDI Committee and Canada Research Chairs Committee.

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee co-chairs are responsible for addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion questions and concerns related to the university's Canada Research Chair Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan as well as for receiving any complaints/questions/concerns related to EDI.

EDI Committee co-chairs are Dr. Alain May (associate vice-president academic resources), and Pauline Smeltz (deputy chief human resources officer). They may be reached through the shared communications channel edicochairs@athabascau.ca.

Chairholders are strongly encouraged to discuss issues and concerns, including concerns related to equity among chairholders, with the associate vice-president research so that they can be resolved in a timely manner. The associate vice president research will communicate chairholders’ concerns to the provost and vice-president academic.

AU's EDI policy and procedures will be developed and implemented under the leadership of the forthcoming EDI Office. Complaints are currently managed within the parameters of the Harassment, Violence, and Sexual Violence Policy sponsored by Human Resources.

The Canada Research Chairs Equity Targets and Results of Participating Institutions provides the program statistics that guide the growth and development of Athabasca University’s program.

Athabasca University is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, persons of any gender identity and expression, and members of visible minorities. The management and development of Athabasca's University Canada Research Chair program is guided by the policies and procedures that govern faculty recruitment and advancement as well as those that provide a framework for research. These include but are not limited to the AU Academic/Professional Staff - Hiring Guidelines, the AU Academic Staff Promotion Policy and the Research Integrity Policy. These, and other relevant policies and procedures, are publicly available on the Office of the Chief Governance Officer and General Counsel site.

Athabasca University's Equity Target Plan can be found here.

Population-Based Institutional Equity Targets 2021 to 2029 can be found here.

Athabasca University's Canada Research Chairs utilization spreadsheet is prepared by the Canada Research Chairs program and outlines the number of Athabasca University’s present chair allocations, how many are filled and by which chairholders, the type of flex moves used, and which allocations are available.

Current:

• Tier 2 Canada Research Chair - Emerging Technologies for Digital Learning and Open Education

Archived:

• Canada Research Chair advertisement (Tier 2) Anti-Indigenous Racism And Discrimination In Health Systems, Faculty of Health Disciplines
• Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) Diversity, Inclusion, and Organizational Sustainability, Faculty of Business
• Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) Innovative Regulatory Governance and Health Policy, Faculty of Health Disciplines
• CRC in Disruptive Pedagogies

Current:

• None

Archived:

• None

Athabasca University's current active chairs are fewer than 5 and as a result, demographics data must be withheld to protect the privacy of our chairholders.

Canada Research Chairs Program Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Requirements and Practices