Office of Inclusive Communities
A message from Dr. Jane Ngobia, VP of Inclusive Communities
When I joined Sheridan in January 2019, I was hired as Senior Adviser to the President and Vice Chancellor. Following broad community consultation to develop Sheridan’s Strategic Plan, the primacy of equity, diversity and inclusion was clearly articulated, and I accepted the inaugural role as Vice-President, Inclusive Communities. In this role, I am charged with the responsibility of working horizontally and partnering with all to embed diversity, equity and inclusion in all of Sheridan’s policies, processes and practices.
I understand my role as a leader in shaping, promoting and implementing Sheridan’s strategic direction, vision and initiatives for equity, diversity and inclusivity. My mandate is to purposefully foster and reaffirm an inclusive campus that embraces the rich diversity of Sheridan’s community to foster a strong sense of connection, respect for others’ rights to belong and equal opportunity to engage, thrive and succeed for everyone.
Fostering inclusion is truly a shared responsibility. I invite you to actively embed inclusion and equity into your spheres of influence at Sheridan and beyond. This is our shared vision — together, we will create a community where everyone is bringing their full potential and experiences, knowing their unique contributions are valued. This is formative to living Sheridan’s First Principles making Diversity, Equity and Inclusion an essential component of our excellence.
Communications from the Office of Inclusive Communities
- EDI commitment report prepared for the Board of Governors (April, 2022)
- EDI commitment report prepared for the Board of Governors (February, 2022)
- EDI commitment report prepared for the Board of Governors (November, 2021)
- Sheridan responds to request from the Ontario Human Rights Commission about creating and sustaining equitable and inclusive education environments (April 29, 2021)
- Email to FAAD and statement regarding launch of a Panel of Inquiry into Music Theatre Program (April 23, 2021)
- Email regarding Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance Program reform (March 22, 2021)
- Global email to staff and students: Our steadfast commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (January 29, 2021)
- EDI commitment report prepared for the Board of Governors (December, 2020)
- EDI commitment report prepared for the Board of Governors (October, 2020)
- Global email to students outlining Sheridan’s plan to address Anti-Black racism (June 12, 2020)
- Global email to staff outlining Sheridan’s plan to address Anti-Black racism (June 11, 2020)
- Message of solidarity and support in recognition of Pride 2020 (June 3, 2020)
- Message of solidarity regarding Anti-Black racism (June 1, 2020)
- Message from Sheridan’s President and Vice Chancellor Reaffirming our Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (April 28, 2020)
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Advisory Council
The mandate of the EDI Council is to promote diversity, advance equity, and foster a culture of inclusion at Sheridan. The Council acts in an advisory capacity to the President and to the Board of Governors on all matters pertaining to equity at Sheridan. In doing so, the Council shall liaise with the broad Sheridan community to identify and develop strategies and initiatives that will sustain a welcoming and inclusive learning and working environment.
Download the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan.
Employee Diversity Self-Identification Census
Sheridan conducted its first Employee Diversity Self-Identification Census from April 6 – May 11, 2020. The Census was an important first step towards achieving our goals for equity, diversity and inclusion at Sheridan, as it allowed us to capture baseline understanding on the diversity of our employees. This information will contribute to our efforts to understand and leverage the diversity, perspectives, and lived experience of employees on our campuses.
Three years after our inaugural Census campaign, we not only have a better understanding of who works at Sheridan, but the Census data also helped reveal gaps in representation of Indigenous Peoples and equity-deserving groups across the institution. In partial response to those gaps, Sheridan has initiated special hiring programs for under-represented groups.
The first census campaign had an overall response rate of 54%. This is below the 80% response rate identified by the federal government as required to have valid data that accurately reflects the composition of the workforce. The response rate is calculated as the proportion of all employees who chose to participate in the census by answering at least one of the questions.
Call to complete the Census: April 10–28, 2023
In support of our goals to continually improve EDI work and reach the target response rate, we are promoting a period of awareness and participation in the secure and confidential Employee Diversity Self-Identification Census, which will ask employees to respond to questions related to six domains of diversity including religion/faith/creed, gender, racialized people, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender diverse people, and Indigenous Peoples. Additionally, there will be two questions asked that relate to perceptions of our working climate.
Although the information can be completed within an employee’s profile on PeopleSoft at any time, from April 10–28, 2023, we are actively promoting participation for employees who have yet to complete the Census.
How to access the Census
Employees can access the Census through Sheridan Central. (On Sheridan Central, navigate to PeopleSoft HR > Self Service > Diversity Self-Identify.)
Employees who completed the survey during its initial launch in April 2020 or during onboarding as a recent hire are not required to take any action. Please note that employees may view, enter or update their self-identification information at any time through the self-service portal.
2020 Census results
The 2020 Census Results Report is available for download:
Download full 2020 Census report
Download 2020 Census report in an accessible format
About EDI at Sheridan
Download Sheridan's Statement of Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
Diversity is a Sheridan strength and leveraging it to unleash the potential of faculty, staff and students is our priority. Across our campuses, we’re making meaningful strides towards developing an equitable and inclusive community.
Under the leadership of the Vice President, Inclusive Communities, Sheridan is actively embedding values of equity, diversity and inclusion into policies, procedures and decision-making at all levels of the institution, while recognizing that this is an ongoing process fuelled by collective dedication and commitment.
Community engagement, collaborative consultation, respect for Indigenous ways of knowing and diverse perspectives, truth and reconciliation and putting people first, are considerations at the fore of Sheridan’s approach to building inclusive communities.
At Sheridan, we define:
- Equity as fair treatment and access to opportunities. Sheridan values the fair and just treatment of all community members through the creation of opportunities and the removal of barriers to address historic and current disadvantages for equity-seeking and marginalized groups.
- Diversity as all the ways in which we are different. Sheridan values and respects diversity in all its forms, including knowledge, worldviews and experiences. Diversity is born out of membership in different groups.
- Inclusion as a process of intentional efforts to understand another perspective and feel empathy. An inclusive learning and working environment is one where every individual can maximize their potential, irrespective of personal characteristics.
Sheridan is a proud participant in the Dimensions: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Canada Program, a Tri-Agency (Canadian Institutes of Health Research [CIHR], Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council [SSHRC], Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada [NSERC]) initiative.
