Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Board Terms of Reference

Role and Responsibilities of the Board

UNSW’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Board will support organisational change to enable the University to be a leading exemplar in diversity and inclusion. The University’s Leadership Team and Diversity Champions will play a key role in driving this change and fostering an inclusive environment that will allow all staff and students to thrive and enable the University to achieve its 2025 strategic priorities.

• Identify and prioritise new initiatives to improve equity and diversity across UNSW
• Identify initiatives (from other institutions and organisations) that could be considered best practice and adapt these for possible introduction at UNSW
• Develop targets and strategies for UNSW to improve its equity and diversity metrics in the immediate short term and over the longer term
• Set targets to improve staff and student diversity across identified groups
• Develop and monitor a scorecard of key measures to be reviewed on a quarterly basis
• Review the progress of employment equity and diversity goals against the plans and targets set at University-wide and Faculty levels
• Monitor UNSW’s admission of students and student body composition with particular regard to access, participation and success of students from  Indigenous backgrounds and from low socio economic and disadvantaged backgrounds
• Monitor the composition of UNSW’s workforce and its recruitment of staff
• Work with the Indigenous Advisory Council to support opportunities for Indigenous staff to build their careers at UNSW and improve Indigenous students’ access and degree completion
• Ensure the culture at UNSW supports the University’s vision to be a global leader of change and innovation and an international exemplar in equity, diversity and inclusion
• Maintain a focus on the development, review and extension of policies and strategies affecting equity and diversity in employment, promotions, pay, training and development, with respect to all University staff and students
• Provide advice on institutional responses to policy and strategic initiatives taken by government and other external organisations
• Act as diversity sponsors and advocate to raise awareness amongst staff and students of the importance of diversity and inclusion at UNSW
• Convene sub-groups and working parties or other initiatives as needed to support UNSW’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion goals as they relate to staff and students.

Role of the Academic Chair

The Academic Chair of UNSW’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Board will oversee governance and policy setting by the Board, ensuring these align with the mission, direction and priorities outlined in UNSW’s 2025 Strategy. The Academic Chair will develop and set the agenda for each Board meeting and be the main point of contact between the Board and the University’s Management Board.

Composition and Structure

Professor Eileen Baldry: Academic Chair, appointed by the Vice-Chancellor

The Board may seek to appoint a small number of external advisors. The purpose of the external advisors is to provide advice and guidance to the Board as needed.

A quorum for the Board shall be 50% of the membership plus one.

The term for nominated Board members, including Diversity Champions who are appointed through an expression of interest process, is two years.

Meetings and Attendance

The Board will normally meet four times per year, and the schedule of meetings will be agreed in advance. The Academic Chair may convene additional meetings at any time on reasonable notice.

Membership cannot be delegated. It is expected that each member of the Board will attend more than half the meetings each year. If a member is unable to attend, it is expected that they will be represented at the Board meeting by somebody with appropriate delegation.

The Executive Officer for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will provide secretariat support to the Board.

Reporting

The Board is an advisory board to the Academic Lead for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The Board may make recommendations to the Academic Chair who may take them to the Executive Committee or to the Management Board.

All proposals/viability papers/business cases in the B1: A Just Society theme of the 2025 Strategy will be circulated to the Board for information.

A summary report from each Board meeting will be provided to the University Executive Team and the University Council by the Academic Chair.

Regular updates will feature in News@UNSW, on the University’s website and other appropriate communication channels.