Equality Structures
The equality structure at the University ensures responsibility for equality matters lie with the Senior Management Group (SMG).
Structured through Equality Champions, where members of the SMG take responsibility for one or more protected characteristic, with the University’s Principal acting as overall Equality Champion. Each of the Equality Champions acts as a direct conduit for student and staff issues, and some host an equality group for individual/groups of protected characteristics. These equality groups have representation from identifying colleagues, students, and relevant University Services, Colleges, academics, and those from appropriate job families. The Students’ Representative Council sit on all equality groups.
Equality and Diversity Strategy Committee (EDSC)
The Equality and Diversity Strategy Committee (EDSC) manages all equality strategy and legal responsibilities for the University.
Chaired by the Principal, membership of EDSC includes:
- All Equality Champions
- Executive Director of People and Organisational Development
- Executive Director of Student and Academic Services
- Students’ Representative Council (SRC)
- Member of Court
- Trade Union representative
EDSC reports to the University’s People and Organisational Development Committee for staffing matters and both the Education Policy and Strategy Committee and the Student Experience Committee for student matters. The Principal will take matters directly to Senior Management Group, if required.
In 2022, EDSC renamed the Refugees & Asylum Seeker Champion the Sanctuary Champion to reflect the wider work the Champion was doing with the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Community.
The equality structures are unchanged from 2021, although there has been a growth in new Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committees and groups in Colleges and Schools. EDI committees in Colleges of Science and Engineering, an Athena Swan committee in Colleges of Social Science and an Anti-Racism and EDI committee in the College of Arts, have given EDI more strategic importance across the University. This has prompted further discussion about the structure and whether it meets the University’s requirements.
Staff Equality Monitoring Report
The University produces a Staff Equality Monitoring Report annually, which reflects on the previous academic cycle. This report outlines the overall diversity data for the University, including all protected characteristic data (where collected) for staff. The data is further broken down by age, disability, ethnicity, sex and sexual orientation, by College, Grade 10 staff, Job Family Profiles, all Grades, Full/Part Time, Contract Type, Nationality and for Recruitment – by all applications and successful applicants. The Staff Equality Monitoring Reports from 2017-2022 are available online, and reports from 2011 can be requested.
Court Representation
The University strives to have a diverse representation on its governance body, Court, and is committed to a gender balance of 40:40:20. As of 2023, Court gender balance is: 40% men, 40% women, 20% either.
SMG Representation
The University’s executive is known as the Senior Management Group (SMG). The Senior Management Group advises the Principal as chief executive officer of the University, on matters of strategy and policy. It also advises Court and Senate on matters of strategic policy (academic and resource) and acts on a day-to-day basis to implement the policies of Court and Senate. This group consists of the Principal, the Senior Vice-Principal, four functional Vice Principals, the four Vice Principals and Heads of College, the Clerk of Senate, Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary, and the Executive Directors of Finance and People and Organisational Development. As of 2023 the gender balance is outlined below.