The University of Liverpool has gained the Bronze Award for Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter.
This award signifies the University’s intent to achieve race equality across the institution, marking the start of a programme of work to break down the barriers that exist for staff and students who are Black, Asian and minority ethnic.
The Race Equality Charter (REC) is a national initiative which aims to improve the representation, progression and success of Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff and students within higher education. The application process is robust with first-time application success rates for higher education institutions standing at approximately 50%.
For the last 18 months, the University’s REC Self-Assessment Team has been working under the guidance and framework of the REC to understand the disparities and challenges that lead to race inequalities on campus.
This work has included extensive consultation with staff and students, as well as the analysis of a large amount of data to help understand the challenges in more detail.
As part of the application for the Bronze Award, the University’s Self-Assessment Team submitted action plans which set out priority areas for focus and how we are going to deliver change.
The staff action plan includes specific work to remove barriers to career progression and create an environment where minority ethnic colleagues can thrive – an approach which has been recognised and endorsed by Advance HE with the Bronze Award.
The student action plan includes specific work to address the diversity of the student population at the University and the impact on students’ sense of belonging, as well as wider issues of reporting racial discrimination, and progression at University including accessing academic support, course engagement and progression post-graduation.
In their overall feedback, Advance HE highlighted that the University’s application demonstrates:
- That its race equality journey is underway, and that a basis has been established on which future progress can be developed
- Senior leadership commitment to race equality both personally and through the allocation of resources
- Wide-ranging involvement at all levels and areas of the University, an innovative governance structure and prominence of staff and student voices
Feedback also included a recommendation from Advance HE to review the timescales of a small number of actions, and identify specific points for reflection and evaluation of progress.
Professor Fiona Beveridge, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Chair of the REC Self-Assessment Team said: “Today’s announcement is a significant achievement and confirms that we are on the right track in our efforts to identify and break down the barriers facing Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff and students at the University.
“It goes without saying that positive change – change which is tangible and long-lasting – will take time and will require a great deal of hard work, but the support the Self-Assessment Team has received from across the institution gives me every confidence that we will achieve our aims.”
More about Advance HE and the Race Equality Charter
Advance HE is a member-led charity which works on behalf of the Higher Education sector, helping institutions like the University of Liverpool to achieve high standards of teaching and learning, governance, leadership development and equality, diversity and inclusion.
The University’s REC Bronze Award is valid for five years.