Chair, Associate Provost (EDI), Stephen Curry

Membership includes representatives from:

• Key central College EDI staff, including members of the EDI Centre
• Faculty EDI staff and leaders
• Trade unions
• Imperial College Union, including Liberation Officers
• Staff networks
• The EDI committees of each academic and PTO department*

A spreadsheet with the full membership is available to Imperial staff and students.

*Each department is expected to send one representative to meetings, but multiple contacts may be maintained on the list.

2022-23

27 September 2022 EDI Forum Chair's report (pdf)

2021-22

4 October 2021 EDI Forum minutes (pdf)

8 February 2022 EDI Forum minutes (pdf) and 8 February 2022 EDI Forum Chair's report (pdf)

24 May 2022 EDI Forum minutes (pdf) and 24 May 2022 EDI Forum Chair's report (pdf)

2020-21

‌‌12 October 2020 EDI Forum minutes (pdf)

1 February 2021 EDI Forum minutes (pdf)

7 June 2021 EDI Forum minutes (pdf)

These Terms of Reference were agreed in April 2018.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum (EDI-F) is committed to helping the College meet its strategic aims – enduring excellence in research and education in science, engineering, medicine and business for the benefit of society. It will do this by championing equality, by valuing and promoting diversity to create an organisational culture that is respectful and inclusive and therefore able to benefit from and nurture the talents of all who work and study here. The work of the Forum will be guided and informed by the College’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which defines current priorities for action.

Purpose

We recognise that access and treatment is not equal for everyone and that the College needs to be responsive to the differing needs of individuals – students and staff. The promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is the shared responsibility of all students and staff but will be co-ordinated by the EDI Strategy Group and the EDI Forum. The Strategy Group is an executive committee chaired by the Provost and includes the chair and other members of the EDI Forum. The role of the Forum, which is chaired by the Assistant Provost (EDI), which draws its diverse membership from staff and students across the university, is to foster a truly inclusive culture at Imperial by being a visibly representative body that anyone working or studying at Imperial will feel able to approach. Using its shared expertise and experience, the forum will identify problems and obstacles to progress, will prioritise and propose relevant actions, and will monitor the progress and effectiveness of those actions. The remit of the forum covers both staff and students. In discharging its duties the forum will always be mindful of the importance of raising awareness of equality and diversity issues at the College.

Objectives

1. To identify our equality priorities and objectives and review progress
2. To propose the development and implementation of equal opportunities initiatives and activities for staff, students and relevant local communities that will help us to meet our equality priorities and objectives.
3. To specify and receive monitoring data and management reports
4. To review the impact of policies, procedures and processes, identify where we are falling short of meeting our targets or best practice standards and recommend relevant actions
5. To help the College benchmark and become influential equality exemplars in and throughout the sector
6. To foster cohesion and eliminate discrimination, by promoting the involvement and interaction of a diverse range of staff and students in College life
7. To encourage staff and student equality networks and hear regularly from representatives on collective views and progress on their actions
8. To engage with other College committees as required to ensure relevant equality and diversity matters are on their agendas as required
9. To receive regular reports on activity from other relevant College committees (e.g. College Athena SWAN Committee, the Disability Action Committee, EDI Strategy Group)
10. To regularly report to and receive reports from the EDI Strategy Group, to facilitate discussion, action and monitoring of progress on issues of particular significance

Responsibilities

Committee members play an important role in the College as both leaders and decision-makers. Members are responsible for:

• providing the Committee with their views and expertise in order to make informed recommendations;
• participating in relevant advisory and working groups;
• ensuring relevant actions are taken;
• keeping up to date with equality and diversity issues;
• influencing organisational and cultural change;
• communicating and embedding equality and diversity practices into their respective
• departments/divisions.

Membership

Members are to be invited onto the committee by the Provost or Chair of the Committee.

The Chair of the committee should be a member of the EDI Strategy Group.

As a committee, our main remit is to consider equality issues with regard to staff and students and, therefore, there should always be a representative from Registry and HR, together with a senior member of staff responsible for student matters.

Other members should represent the Unions and the College’s staff networks; the Imperial College Union should also be represented.

There should be a senior faculty officer (e.g. a Faculty Operating Officer) on the committee.

Non ex-officio Membership will normally be for 2 years.

The membership should include representatives from both academic and professional staff. At the Chair’s discretion, other members may be invited to join the committee.

The Committee will meet formally three times a year.