AAP-Future Africa Public Dialogue
Refocusing on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Leadership Lessons from
Higher Education Institutions
- Date: 10 October 2023
-
Time: 14:00 - 16:00 SAST |
08:00 - 10:00 EST - Venue: Future Africa Auditorium
Event starts in:
Refocusing on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Leadership Lessons from Higher Education Institutions in the AAP Consortium
Most higher education institutions now promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as core values attached to their institutional mission because doing so is crucial for ensuring a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for all students, academics, and staff. Diversity brings with it a number of educational benefits, including improved racial and cultural awareness, enhanced critical thinking, higher levels of service to community, and a more educated citizenry, to name a few. However, other components – namely, equity and inclusion -are also essential to delivering on diversity’s promise to higher education more broadly. Inclusion is the intentional, ongoing, active institutional efforts to reap the educational benefits of diversity. On a HEI campus, inclusion means having a valued voice, seeing others like you represented around you and in the curriculum, and knowing that you belong, and matter based on how you experience the environment and your interactions with others. Equity on the other hand encompasses achieving parity, regardless of gender, sexuality, race or ethnicity. Institutionalising equity at HEIs can be achieved as senior leaders understand and adopt equity-mindedness, which calls attention to patterns of inequity in student and faculty outcomes, resulting in individual and institutional responsibility for advancing equity-achieving practices to impact success for all students and faculty.
People with different life experiences ask different questions. They enrich dialogues and may ignite contestation or disruption of the status quo, which fuels the creation of new knowledge, innovation and deeper understanding.
This dialogue brings together a panel of leaders from the AAP consortium to share their perspectives in a frank discussion on how they respond to DEI at HEIs.
Mathabo Khau
Affiliate of the Future Africa Global Equity in Africa Research Chair, University of Pretoria
Steve Hanson
Associate Provost & Dean International Studies and Programs, Michigan State University
Phethiwe Matutu
Chief Executive Officer, Universities South Africa
Jabbar R. Bennett
Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (IDI), MSU
University of Pretoria
Nontsikelelo Loteni
Director, Transformation Office, University of Pretoria
S'phesihle Makhanya
Student Representative Council, Transformation and Student Success, University of Pretoria
Nwando Achebe
Associate Dean DEI, College of Social Sciences, MSU, USA
Nancy Mungai
Director Research & Extension, Egerton University, Kenya
| Time | Speaker | Item |
|---|---|---|
| 14:00 | Heide Hackmann Director, Future Africa, University of Pretoria | Welcome remarks |
| 14:05 | Mathabo Khau Affiliate of the Future Africa Global Equity in Africa Research Chair, University of Pretoria | Introduction of dialogue and speakers |
| 14:15 | Steve Hanson Associate Provost & Dean International Studies and Programs, Michigan State University | Opening Remarks |
| 14:25 | Phethiwe Matutu Chief Executive Officer, Universities South Africa | Keynote address The state of transformation in South African universities |
| 14:45 | Jabbar R. Bennett Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (IDI), MSU | Perspectives on how MSU has reframed the DEI infrastructure on campus including issues of global DEI |
| 14:55 | Nontsikelelo Loteni Director, Transformation Office, UP | How has the current global climate contributed to changes around gender and inclusion on university campuses in Africa |
| 15:05 | S'phesihle Makhanya Student Representative Council, Transformation and Student Success, University of Pretoria | Perspectives from students on how we can meaningfully ensure student voices and advocacy play an important role in institutional change around DEI |
| 15:15 | Nwando Achebe Associate Dean DEI, College of Social Sciences, MSU, USA | What are some of the success stories from MSU’s College of Social Science that demonstrate institutions have confronted their complex histories around race and can be true agents of transformation |
| 15:25 | Mathabo Khau Affiliate of the Future Africa Global Equity in Africa Research Chair, University of Pretoria | Moderator, Q&A Session |
| 16:00 | Nancy Mungai Director Research & Extension, Egerton University, Kenya | Closing remarks |
| 16:15 | End of Dialogue |
Refocusing on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Leadership Lessons from Higher Education Institutions in the AAP Consortium
Most higher education institutions now promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as core values attached to their institutional mission because doing so is crucial for ensuring a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for all students, academics, and staff. Diversity brings with it a number of educational benefits, including improved racial and cultural awareness, enhanced critical thinking, higher levels of service to community, and a more educated citizenry, to name a few. However, other components – namely, equity and inclusion -are also essential to delivering on diversity’s promise to higher education more broadly. Inclusion is the intentional, ongoing, active institutional efforts to reap the educational benefits of diversity. On a HEI campus, inclusion means having a valued voice, seeing others like you represented around you and in the curriculum, and knowing that you belong, and matter based on how you experience the environment and your interactions with others. Equity on the other hand encompasses achieving parity, regardless of gender, sexuality, race or ethnicity. Institutionalising equity at HEIs can be achieved as senior leaders understand and adopt equity-mindedness, which calls attention to patterns of inequity in student and faculty outcomes, resulting in individual and institutional responsibility for advancing equity-achieving practices to impact success for all students and faculty.
People with different life experiences ask different questions. They enrich dialogues and may ignite contestation or disruption of the status quo, which fuels the creation of new knowledge, innovation and deeper understanding.
This dialogue brings together a panel of leaders from the AAP consortium to share their perspectives in a frank discussion on how they respond to DEI at HEIs.
Mathabo Khau
Affiliate of the Future Africa Global Equity in Africa Research Chair, University of Pretoria
Steve Hanson
Associate Provost & Dean International Studies and Programs, Michigan State University
Phethiwe Matutu
Chief Executive Officer, Universities South Africa
Jabbar R. Bennett
Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (IDI), MSU
University of Pretoria
Nontsikelelo Loteni
Director, Transformation Office, University of Pretoria
S’phesihle Makhanya
Student Representative Council, Transformation and Student Success, University of Pretoria
Nwando Achebe
Associate Dean DEI, College of Social Sciences, MSU, USA
Nancy Mungai
Director Research & Extension, Egerton University, Kenya
| Time | Speaker | Item |
|---|---|---|
| 14:00 | Heide Hackmann Director, Future Africa, University of Pretoria | Welcome remarks |
| 14:05 | Mathabo Khau Affiliate of the Future Africa Global Equity in Africa Research Chair, University of Pretoria | Introduction of dialogue and speakers |
| 14:15 | Steve Hanson Associate Provost & Dean International Studies and Programs, Michigan State University | Opening Remarks |
| 14:25 | Phethiwe Matutu Chief Executive Officer, Universities South Africa | Keynote address The state of transformation in South African universities |
| 14:45 | Jabbar R. Bennett Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (IDI), MSU | Perspectives on how MSU has reframed the DEI infrastructure on campus including issues of global DEI |
| 14:55 | Nontsikelelo Loteni Director, Transformation Office, UP | How has the current global climate contributed to changes around gender and inclusion on university campuses in Africa |
| 15:05 | S’phesihle Makhanya Student Representative Council, Transformation and Student Success, University of Pretoria | Perspectives from students on how we can meaningfully ensure student voices and advocacy play an important role in institutional change around DEI |
| 15:15 | Nwando Achebe Associate Dean DEI, College of Social Sciences, MSU, USA | What are some of the success stories from MSU’s College of Social Science that demonstrate institutions have confronted their complex histories around race and can be true agents of transformation |
| 15:25 | Mathabo Khau Affiliate of the Future Africa Global Equity in Africa Research Chair, University of Pretoria | Moderator, Q&A Session |
| 16:00 | Nancy Mungai Director Research & Extension, Egerton University, Kenya | Closing remarks |
| 16:15 | End of Dialogue |
