Conversation, collaboration and community were hallmarks of the last year at Niagara College, guided by the work of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Blueprint, partnership with the Niagara College Student Administrative Council, and the leadership of the EDI Catalysts advancing grassroots change.
On May 16, the NC community gathered at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake – and virtually – to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the College’s formal commitment to EDI work and the transformational impact of the work already underway.
“We have had such rich dialogue since spring 2022 about how we as a College can reflect our values and be the most diverse, welcoming and inclusive College we possibly can be,” said NC President Sean Kennedy. “Our people and our students are what makes NC so special. It’s always about conversations, relationships, trust, and a genuine desire to be better. Today’s celebration is one of our community, those conversations, and our shared commitment to be better.”
The 29 EDI Catalysts and VP Champions were acknowledged for their role in implementing the Blueprint, and how the unique, decentralized model is ensuring accountability and fostering collective action. Catalysts serve as project leaders who direct project plans. They complete training opportunities related to truth and reconciliation, equity, diversity, and inclusion, project management and change management to guide their work.
“EDI work is not the work of an individual or a particular unit, but a shared community responsibility, and responsibility begins at the top,” said Pam Skinner, Senior Vice-President, College Operations.
Skinner asserted that, the role of the leadership team is to support that grassroots work through cheerleading, coaching and moving roadblocks out of the way.
“As an Executive team, we realize that the grassroots work is really important to EDI work,” said Skinner.
From L to R: Elaine Burgess, Baljit Bhamber, Jill Cook and Taryn Wilkinson.
Four EDI Catalysts supporting various areas of the Blueprint spoke about their work, their “why,” and how the unique model is propelling momentum across the College.
Baljit Bhamber, Campus Safety Coordinator, shared about her work to build relationships with Indigenous Education to foster better understanding of and respect for Indigenous cultural practices among the Campus Safety team.
Elaine Burgess, Clinical Nurse Supervisor, is working to ensure employers and partners who host Nursing students on placements are better prepared to support those from a wide variety of backgrounds and lived experiences.
Jill Cook, Organizational Development, Learning & Engagement Coordinator is creating a dashboard to assess employee training, data and feedback related to EDI to help guide employee engagement efforts.
Taryn Wilkinson, Manager, Sustainability is leaning into the natural synergies between equity work and sustainability, working alongside Katie McQuestion, Emergency Management/Fire Safety Coordinator, to review College policies and procedures to formalize the College’s commitment.
Samah Sabra, Director, EDI and Accessibility and Steve Kosh, Executive Director of NCSAC, spoke about the joint commitment between NC and NCSAC, the ongoing nature of the work, and gave thanks to those who have contributed to supporting this .
To learn more about the progress made within the Blueprint’s areas of focus, visit the . The goals and actions have been updated to include the status of each action item and the associated EDI catalysts.
As the College begin planning for the next iteration of the Blueprint, we are hoping to hear from you. Please share your questions, comments and ideas using Slido. The Slido poll will remain open until May 31.
Questions related to the EDI Blueprint? Please reach out to [email protected].
