EDI Strategy and Initiatives

Below are a number of our EDI Working Group’s goals, actions, and initiatives to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion priorities in the Department of Psychology.

These initiatives stem from the Psychology EDI Task Force report and recommendations.

A. Faculty Hiring Recommendations

A1. Increasing Racial Diversity of Those who Apply
Recommendations	Progress
Hiring 1: Preferential Search Adopt a preferential search model for the next hire in each area of the department, whereby members of under-represented demographic groups (especially Indigenous and Black, then racialized) are considered ahead of the general pool.	Completed for faculty searches in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Hiring 2: Commitment to EDI in Job Ad Revise job ads to articulate a more meaningful and explicit commitment to overcoming long-term systematic problems that have kept underrepresented scholars out of traditional academic positions.	Completed for faculty searches in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Hiring 3: Reach of Job Ad Advertise faculty positions in a way that reaches more applicants from underrepresented demographic groups.	Completed for faculty searches in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Hiring 4: Track Demographics of Applicants Formally evaluate the demographic information of the applicant pool, with the ideal long-term target for the applications we receive being the demographics of the recent PhD graduates in psychology.	Completed for faculty searches in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Hiring 5: Opening Jobs to PhDs in Other Disciplines Consider opening job applications to candidates who have completed doctoral degrees in neighboring disciplines.	To be revisited in 2027 based on progress toward hiring goals.
Hiring 6: Re-evaluate Adopting Limited Search Model Future strategic hiring plans discuss whether to adopt a limited search model (restricting applicants to under-represented demographic groups).	To be revisited in 2027 based on progress toward hiring goals.

A2. Keeping Diverse Applicants under Consideration
Recommendations	Progress
Hiring 7: Orientation to Initial Screenings Approach initial screenings with an orientation to remove applicants who do not meet a minimum standard as opposed to an orientation to search for the most exciting or top applicants.	Completed for faculty searches in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Hiring 8: Number of Thorough Reviewers Have each application thoroughly reviewed by as many different people as is feasible (at minimum, two reviewers per applicant).	Started in 2022/23 and completed in 2023/24 searches. Will continue in future.
Hiring 9: Track Demographics of Long, Short, and Interview Lists Compare the racial demographics of the applicant pool to the distribution on the long lists, short lists, and interview lists (and re-evaluate these lists where needed).	Started in 2022/23 and completed in 2023/24 searches. Will continue in future.
Hiring 10: Additional Reviewer for Racialized Applicants An extra reviewer goes over each racialized applicant in the pool, paying particular attention to every racialized applicant who was not included at each cut.	Started in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will develop further in future searches.
Hiring 11: Number of Candidates Interviewed Increase the number of candidates who are interviewed so as to keep more racially diverse applicants in consideration.	Completed for faculty searches in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.

A3. Evaluating Applicants in the Context of EDI
Recommendations	Progress
Hiring 12: EDI Champion Elect an "EDI Champion" within the Search Committee whose role is to ensure that EDI goals and considerations are discussed throughout the applicant evaluation process, and to offer insights into the EDI contributions of candidates.	Completed for faculty searches in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Hiring 13: EDI Statement Instructions in Job Ad Change the wording of the EDI statement prompt in the job ad to communicate that a broader type of experiences and future research plans are applicable to our EDI goals.	Completed for faculty searches in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Hiring 14: Evaluate Candidates’ EDI Contribution Explicitly review applicants’ EDI contribution and include a question about this in the department-wide candidate evaluation survey.	Completed for faculty searches in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Hiring 15: Reconsider “Fit” A focus on current “fit” may inadvertently push away good candidates, as those who will bring more diversity to a department may appear to “fit” less well with the existing department structure.	Started in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will develop further in future searches.
Hiring 16: Evaluate Candidate Materials in Context of EDI Review and discuss the recommended guidelines for evaluating each document in the applicant’s dossier (cover letter, CV, research statement/reprints, teaching statement, recommendation letters) within the context of EDI.	Started in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will develop further in future searches.

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B. Inclusion Recommendations

B1. Enhanced EDI Leadership and Personnel
Recommendations	Progress
Inclusion 1: EDI Committee Chair elevated to Associate Head EDI Elevate the position of EDI Committee Chair to the status of Associate Head of EDI, including a course release, to enable the person in this position to manage a broader range of programs.	Completed on July 1, 2022. Ongoing until 2027, when this will be revisited.
Inclusion 2: EDI Programming Assistant Position Create a new full time staff position for an EDI Programming Assistant to support the administrative and financial aspects of new and expanded EDI programming and resources.	Handled by Work Learn students in 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25
Inclusion 3: Expanding the EDI Committee Double the size of the Department’s EDI Committee so that all areas have faculty representation on the committee, broadly distributing responsibility for EDI throughout the department.	Completed in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Inclusion 4: Paid EDI Graduate Consultants Offer a within-department consultation service, loosely modelled after the Statistical Consultation service, for department members who want individualized support in implementation of EDI goals and practices in research, teaching, and other roles.	Completed July 1 2022. Ongoing until 2027, when this will be revisited.

B2. Enhanced EDI Training and Resources
Recommendations	Progress
Inclusion 5: Monthly EDI Workshop Series Launch a new monthly EDI Workshop containing programming to increase our opportunity for training, discussion, and sharing research relevant to EDI in our department.	Completed in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Inclusion 6: Revamping Content on the Departmental Website Overhaul the Departmental Website to make resources and information relevant to EDI more widely accessible to interested and potential members of our department.	Completed in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future. Website Summary Report 2022 UXR Summary Report 2022
Inclusion 7: JEDI Shares of Evidence-Based Action Providing ongoing access to evidence-based research on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) and recommendations through brief infographics broadly distributed in the department.	Primarily included in EDI talks & workshops. Infographics not started.

B3. Decolonizing Curriculum
Recommendations	Progress
Inclusion 8: CTLT Anti-Racism and Inclusive Teaching Sessions Provide easy access to regular training workshops to equip instructors with strategies to decolonize their courses and create inclusive classrooms.	Service offered by EDI consultants in 2022/23, 2023/24. See Inclusion 4.
Inclusion 9: Webpage to Advertise EDI-Focused Courses Advertise courses offered by the psychology department with an EDI-focus on the departmental website.	Not started.
Inclusion 10: EDI Statement and Land Acknowledgement in Syllabi Include a land acknowledgement in course syllabi as well as a statement aimed to promote inclusion in the classroom.	Service offered by EDI consultants in 2022/23, 2023/24. See Inclusion 4.
Inclusion 11: All Areas Review EDI in Graduate Training Encourage all research areas to review their graduate training with the goal of diversifying the topics, methods, and researchers to which our students are exposed.	Offered to all areas in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Inclusion 12: Place and Power Course Develop a new, lower-level and/or upper division undergraduate course that provides students a decolonized treatment of psychology.	Not started.
Inclusion 13: Graduate Minor in Psychology of Diversity Establish a working group to investigate the feasibility and design of a new graduate minor in the Psychology of Diversity.	Not started.

B4. Diversifying Research
Recommendations	Progress
Inclusion 14: Access to Resources on Diversity Research Create a Diversifying Research page on our Departmental website which includes links to existing online training opportunities, funding opportunities, and existing EDI-relevant research programs for researchers seeking greater competence or awareness of EDI issues.	Started in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will develop further in future. EDI Research EDI Resources
Inclusion 15: Funding for Diversity Research Create new and leverage existing funding opportunities aimed at increased research on EDI topics and/or research in traditionally marginalized communities at the local, national, and international context.	Not started.
Inclusion 16: Funding More Diverse Graduate Student Researchers Establish new fellowships that will help attract and support more graduate students of diverse backgrounds.	Started in 2022/23 and completed in 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Inclusion 17: Diversifying Research Exchange Program Create a funding pool or program that would be reserved for racialized visiting students from other universities or exchange programs between students in the department and racialized students from other universities.	Not started.
Inclusion 18: Centralized RAship Application Portal Create a centralized Research Assistant (RA) application portal, to allow students to see the list of labs that are currently recruiting and apply to them directly.	Completed in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.

B5. Community Partnerships for Capacity Building
Recommendations	Progress
Inclusion 19: Community Advisory Board Establish a Community Advisory Board to advise the Department Head and Associate Heads on departmental community engagement.	Not started.
Inclusion 20: Community-Engaged Undergraduate Courses Create or adapt existing courses to include community engagement activities or assignments, including service learning courses and/or the eventual development of a field school.	Started in 2023/24. Will develop further in future.
Inclusion 21: Funding More Diverse Incentives and Support for Community Partnerships Incentivize and support community-engaged partnerships through workshops, networks of scholars, administrative support, and all equity-related decisions.	Started in 2023/24. Will develop further in future.

B6. EDI Funding
Recommendations	Progress
Inclusion 22: UBC Psychology Department Diversity Fund Establish a new Departmental Diversity Fund that will help fund several initiatives described in this report and provide an annual operational budget for the EDI Committee of $30,000.	Started in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will develop further in future.
Inclusion 23: Diversity Fundraiser with Alumni and Faculty Launch a fundraiser with the goal of raising an additional $200,000 to support EDI initiatives over the next 2-3 years.	Started in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will develop further in future.
Inclusion 24: Working Group to Set Funding Initiatives Establish a working group to set funding priorities and programs that will allocate funds from the new Departmental Diversity Fund and the Diversity Fundraiser.	Completed in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future.
Inclusion 25: EDI Endowment with Donor Funding Create plans to establish a permanent endowment equivalent to the Quinn Endowment ($1.6 million) that would provide a self-sustaining source of funding for ongoing EDI efforts.	Not started.

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C. Progress Monitoring & Accountability Recommendations

C. Progress Monitoring & Accountability Recommendations
Recommendations	Progress
Progress Monitoring 1: Annual Internal Evaluation Establish a regular annual assessment of progress on EDI goals within the department, and creation of an annual EDI report for review by department leadership and stakeholders, and share progress and timelines for EDI goals on the department website.	Completed in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will continue in future UBC Psychology EDI Goals & Actions
Progress Monitoring 2: Periodic External Evaluation Hire an outside EDI consultant once every 5 years to evaluate the department’s progress toward EDI goals.	To be done in 2027.
Progress Monitoring 3: Working Group on Equity Create a working group to evaluate and make recommendations for merit evaluation, space allocation, and promotion and tenure for faculty, to align with departmental EDI goals.	Not started.
Progress Monitoring 4: Departmental Complaint Process Create a working group to develop a departmental complaint process to receive and respond to reports of EDI-related incidents.	Started in 2022/23, 2023/24. Will develop further in future.

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EDI Goals and Actions

Our EDI Working Group’s goals and actions advance equity, diversity, and inclusion priorities in the Department of Psychology. These initiatives stem from the Psychology EDI Task Force report and recommendations.

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EDI Task Force: Report and Recommendations

In spring 2021, the Psychology EDI Task Force was established in response to the global anti-Black racism protests, incidents of systemic racism in Canada, and calls within the UBC Psychology community for immediate, concrete and meaningful change.

The EDI Task Force published a comprehensive report with over 45 recommendations to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and related priorities in our department. Psychology faculty members voted to approve the recommendations in the EDI Task Force Report in fall 2021. The department aims to implement these recommendations strategically across a 5-year period initially, with annual internal reviews and a 5-year external review.

The report offers the following recommendations:

• Increase the racial diversity of our department faculty
• Increase the inclusive climate in our department
• Monitor our progress and accountability in each domain

EDI Task Force Members

The Psychology EDI Task Force consisted of 16 members, selected to represent a broad cross section of areas and roles within our department, including faculty, staff, and students.