Pictured (L-R): Laura Austin, HEA; Professor Eugene Wall, President of MIC; Dr Jennie Rothwell, HEA; Professor Lorraine McIlrath, Director of EDII at MIC.
Mary Immaculate College (MIC) has reinforced its commitment to respecting cultural diversity and promoting equity in society with the signing of the Higher Education Authority (HEA)’s Race Equality Anti-Racism Principles for Irish Higher Education Institutions.
The Race Equality Principles have been devised by the HEA to acknowledge the decades-long transformation of Ireland’s educational spaces from predominantly national institutions catering to school-leavers, to internationally oriented institutions engaged with an increasingly diverse student and staff body, of all ages and backgrounds. The Principles further recognise that the ethnic diversity in our student and staff population has become a key strength of Irish higher education which must be built on and protected.
According to Professor Lorraine McIlrath, Director of Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Interculturalism (EDII) at MIC: “Our signing of the HEA Race Equality Principles is an important moment for us to reflect on the nature of diversity and inclusion at MIC. These principles underpin our work toward becoming a University of Sanctuary and our offering of scholarship to study for those seeking international protection. Our recent celebration of Africa Day on 1 June, organised by our African Students and community partners, provides us with an applied opportunity for intercultural learning and the sharing of knowledge that seeks to eliminate racism. We will frame this Chapter signed by our MIC President and will place it in public places for our community to understand and celebrate out ethos of EDII.”
Through the signing of the HEA’s Race Equality Principles, MIC joins with other HEIs in committing to:
- Embed a commitment to race equality as part of our institutional culture and strategic priorities
- Highlight the structural, institutional, and historical dimensions of racism which have informed past and current practice in HEIs and the societies in which they are situated
- Educate the staff and students in relation to the structural, institutional, and historical dimensions of racism, as well as the more commonly recognised individual racism seen in acts of discrimination and abuse
- Encourage an open dialogue on advancing Race Equality
- Adopt an intersectional and intercultural approach when developing anti-racism actions and policies
- Address questions of race equality within the institution’s strategic plans
- Record student and staff data disaggregated by ethnicity to inform the HEA’s anti-racism policies and actions, and monitor retention and career outcomes for students and staff from ethnic minority groups including Travellers
- Continue to ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process for all staff, regardless of ethnicity
- Address race equality issues in relation to progression and retention of students and staff from minority ethnic groups including Travellers
Pictured (L-R): Edel Foster, EDII Manager at MIC; Laura Austin, HEA; Professor Eugene Wall, President of MIC; Dr Jennie Rothwell, HEA; Professor Gary O'Brien, Vice-President of Governance & Strategy at MIC; Professor Lorraine McIlrath, Director of EDII at MIC.
The development of the HEA’s Race Equality principles follows consultation with staff working in Irish HEIs in late 2020 and early 2021, the results of which informed the Race Equality in the Higher Education Sector report. This report in turn led to the production of the HEA’s Race Equality Implementation Plan 2022-2024, a key action of which is the development of a statement/charter on race equality for Irish HEIs.
MIC’s signing of the Race Equality Principles is only the latest in a line of historic work to promote equity and society and respect for cultural diversity in the Mid-West and across Ireland. In 2018, MIC established an Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Interculturalism (EDII) office and in December 2021 appointed a dedicated Director to oversee this work in the College. MIC recently held its second annual Africa Day event, which this year celebrated the educational links between Africa and MIC. In February this year, the Women in Education: Afghanistan and Ireland conference highlighted the plight of women in Afghanistan since the takeover of the Taliban and chronicled their experiences.
In Autumn 2022 and Spring of 2023, MIC held the MIC Teaching for Inclusion Seminar Series’ to support and share knowledge with the wider teaching community to help with opportunities to support an ethos and practice diversity, inclusion and integration in the classroom and schools. The recordings for those seminars and the schedule for Autumn 2023 can be seen by clicking here.
