A Message From Stephen J. Toope
Universities are places where new ideas and perspectives can form a life of their own.
Ideas grow and take shape in the minds of students, staff and faculty, becoming living entities when discussed, encouraged and nurtured. An idea changes and adjusts through the influences of many, until it grows into a new concept or approach with potential to affect positive change for our communities.
Fresh perspectives are as integral to academic enterprise as blood is to life. Accordingly, The University of British Columbia recognizes that diversity amongst its students, staff and faculty is essential to ensure a lively learning environment where ideas and perspectives are given voice. Being a diverse community is not enough, however; UBC must ensure that those voices perceived to be ‘different’ are recognized and appreciated.
The values of mutual respect and equity are therefore central to the University’s strategic planning document, Place and Promise: The UBC Plan, in which UBC articulates its commitment to building intercultural aptitudes and creating a strong sense of inclusion. Valuing Difference: A Strategy for Advancing Equity and Diversity at UBC is central to realizing that commitment. It is intended to ensure that equity and diversity are embedded not only in UBC’s values but also in its operations. Valuing Difference also recognizes that there is still much work to be done to achieve these goals: that some disadvantaged groups remain underrepresented in some sectors and at some levels of the University community; that some students, staff and faculty continue to feel excluded or marginalized; and that action is required to address these concerns.
Along with other core strategies, including Focus on People and the Aboriginal Strategy, Valuing Difference reflects the University’s deep commitment to advancing a diverse, equitable and inclusive community, thereby ensuring its life blood remains strong far into the future.
