All faculties to have their own Diversity Officers

Starting from this academic year, five faculties will have one or more officers tasked with improving diversity. In association with the Diversity Office, which is led by Hanneke Takkenberg, these so-called Faculty Diversity Officers will promote diversity and inclusion.

The various faculties’ Diversity Officers have formulated goals and ambitions for their own faculties. In the next few years, they will have to ensure that these goals and ambitions are realised. In addition, they will advise the departments making up their faculties on diversity, and take all sorts of initiatives to increase diversity and inclusion among staff and students.

Some faculties have opted to appoint not one officer, but rather a team. For their part, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Erasmus MC have yet to appoint a Diversity Officer.

‘Looks set to appoint someone’

“The Faculty of Social Sciences looks set to appoint an officer soon,” says Takkenberg. “The Erasmus MC wishes to establish a more comprehensive diversity policy, covering not just teaching and research, but health care as well, which makes everything a lot more complex. So they’ll take a bit longer.” Nevertheless, the Faculty of Medicine already seems to be working on making its teaching more ‘inclusive’.

Takkenberg promises that the faculties’ Diversity Officers will receive support from the university-wide Diversity Office. “We will help them implement their policies, thanks to the knowledge we have gained in the last few years, for instance about teaching interventions.” In addition, the Office will regularly meet with the Officers.

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