Thursday, 1 September 2022: The Maynooth University School of Business has achieved the Athena Swan Bronze Award, in recognition of work undertaken to advance gender equality for staff and students in Higher Education.
To achieve the award, departments and institutions are required to perform a critical self-reflection and analysis to identify good practice and target areas in need of cultural and organisational change.
The Self-Assessment Team (SAT) for the application was led by Dr Christian Martin along with 15 colleagues from the School. The SAT was supported in its work by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Office, Human Resources and the Institutional Research Office. The School of Business is the first academic department in Ireland to achieve a Bronze Award under the new Athena Swan Ireland Charter which was introduced in October 2021.
The application includes a four-year Gender Equality Action Plan specific to the School that addresses key challenges to gender equality. The 51-point Plan includes:
- Build a common understanding and capacity to identify and address, issues and opportunities relating to equality grounds and intersectionality;
- Maintain a high level of awareness, engagement and support of Athena Swan in the School;
- Increase awareness around EDI in teaching and learning through training, best practice examples and guidelines;
- Actively discuss and encourage colleagues to take up career development opportunities.
Professor Peter McNamara, Head of the School of Business, said: “Engaging in the Athena Swan process enabled the School of Business to systematically consider our approach to gender equality by listening to our community, developing an Action Plan and implementing it for the betterment of the community. For me it is the process that drives the actions to improve lives. Achieving the Athena Swan Bronze is a wonderful initial step on our life-long journey of attaining and maintaining gender equality in the context of the School's wider Egalitarian value that embraces many forms of diversity. I would like to thank the Self-Assessment Team of the School of Business, led by Christian Martin, the EDI Office of the University, led by Gemma Irvine, Athena Swan Ireland, and most especially all the students and staff who engaged with the process.”
Professor Eeva Leinonen, President of Maynooth University, said: “It is with great pleasure that I congratulate the School of Business on their achievement of Athena Swan Bronze. Six Maynooth University Departments and one Maynooth University Faculty (six Departments and two Schools) have now achieved Athena Swan Bronze. Today's award is a welcome recognition of the School of Business' commitment to advancing a culture of gender equality, and of Maynooth University’s commitment to embed the values of equality, diversity, inclusion and interculturalism at department and school level.”
Dr Christian Martin, School of Business Self-Assessment Team Chair, commented: “We are delighted that we have received a departmental Athena Bronze award. This has been a true team effort. I would like to thank my colleagues in the School and especially those on our Self-Assessment Team and also our colleagues in the EDI Office and other university offices for their contributions. While the Athena Swan self-assessment has indicated that there is a strong commitment to EDI among colleagues in the School of Business, it has also helped us to identify areas where we as a community can improve. We are now looking forward to building on this foundation and to further advancing EDI in the School.”
Dr Gemma Irvine, Vice President for Equality & Diversity, said: “Many congratulations to the School of Business on the achievement of Athena Swan Bronze. The success of this application is the result of the hard work of colleagues across the School and the University to undertake a critical self-assessment and set out a targeted Action Plan to continue to advance gender equality, diversity and inclusion over the four-year duration of the award. The Athena Swan Ireland Charter provides a sustainable framework for the University and the HEI sector to build capacity for evidence-based equality work across the equality grounds enshrined in Irish legislation."
About Athena Swan
The Athena Swan charter is a framework that is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality in higher education and research. By being part of Athena Swan, institutions and departments are committing to a progressive charter; adopting these principles within their policies, practices, action plans and culture.
The Athena Swan Charter was launched in Ireland in 2015 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research. The charter has since been expanded to recognise work undertaken in arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law (AHSBBL), and staff working in professional, managerial and support roles. The charter framework also recognises work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly, including consideration of the experience of trans staff and students, as well as the underrepresentation of men in particular disciplines.
The Athena Swan Ireland Charter has recently undergone a re-development in line with the findings of a national consultation and offers a framework for progressing equality in higher education and research that is unique to Ireland but aligns broadly with the global charter principles. The new charter framework, introduced in October 2021, has further adapted the previous expanded charter framework to the Irish HEI context and takes a comprehensive multi-level approach to organisation structural/cultural change across the equality grounds enshrined in Irish legislation. This includes national drivers and links to core grant and research funding, and European Commission requirements for Horizon Europe.
In 2018, Maynooth University was the first Higher Education Institution in Ireland to achieve an Athena Swan Bronze Institution Award under the expanded charter, in recognition of its commitment to progressing gender and intersectional equality for staff and students. Six Maynooth University Departments and one Maynooth University Faculty (six Departments and two Schools) have now achieved Athena Swan Bronze: in addition to the School of Business, the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Law, Psychology and the Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies & Philosophy each hold Bronze Department Awards.
For further information:
Jennie Rothwell, Equality Project Officer, Maynooth University, athenaswan@mu.ie
Bronntar Gradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan ar Scoil an Ghnó in OMN
Déardaoin, 1 Meán Fómhair 2022: Tá Gradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan tar éis bheith bronnta ar Scoil an Ghnó in Ollscoil Mhá Nuad, mar aitheantas ar obair atá ar bun acu chun comhionannas inscne a chur chun cinn i measc na foirne agus na mac léinn san Ardoideachas.
Chun gur féidir an gradam seo a bhaint amach, tá ar ranna agus institiúidí féinmhachnamh agus anailís chriticiúil a chur i gcrích chun dea-chleachtas chomh maith le réimsí ina bhfuil athrú cultúrtha agus eagraíochtúil ag teastáil a aithint.
Bhí an Fhoireann Féinmheasúnaithe don iarratas stiúrtha ag an Dr Christian Martin chomh maith le 15 comhghleacaí dena chuid ón Scoil. Fuair an Fhoireann Féinmheasúnaithe tacaíocht ina cuid oibre ón Oifig Comhionannais, Éagsúlachta agus Ionchuimsitheachta, ó Oifig na n-Acmhainní Daonna agus ón Oifig um Taighde Institiúideach. Is í Scoil an Ghnó an chéad roinn acadúil in Éirinn chun an Gradam Cré-Umha a bhaint amach faoi Chairt Athena Swan nua na hÉireann a tháinig i bhfeidhm i mí Dheireadh Fómhair 2021.
Mar chuid den iarratas tá Plean Gníomhaíochta don Chomhionannas Inscne ceithre bliana a bhaineann go háirithe leis an Scoil féin agus a thugann aghaidh ar phríomhdhúshláin don chomhionannas inscne. San áireamh sa Phlean 51-pointe tá:
- Comhthuiscint agus comhchumas a thógaint chun cúrsaí agus féidearthachtaí a bhaineann comhionannas agus trasnachas a aithint agus chun aghaidh a thabhairt orthu;
- Ardleibhéal tuisceana, rannpháirtíochta agus tacaíochta a choinneáil sa Scoil maidir le Athena Swan;
- Tuiscint maidir le Comhionannas, Éagsúlacht agus Ionchuimsitheacht i gcúrsaí teagaisc agus foghlama a mheadú trí oiliúint, trí shamplaí dea-chleachtais agus trí threoirlínte;
- Deiseanna forbartha gairme a phlé agus a spreagadh i measc comhghleacaithe.
Dúirt an tOllamh Peter McNamara, Ceann Scoil an Ghnó: “Tríd an bpáirt seo a ghlacadh sa phróiseas Athena Swan, d’éirigh le Scoil an Ghnó athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar an gcur chuige atá againn maidir le comhionannas inscne fad is a bhíomar ag éisteacht leis an bpobal, ag cur ár bPlean Gníomhaíochta le chéile agus á chur i bhfeidhm ar leas an phobail. Domsa, próiseas atá ann a chiallaíonn go dtagann feabhas ar shaolta faoi dheireadh. Is í Gradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan a bhaint amach an chéad chéim san aistear seo ar feadh an tsaoil chun comhionannas inscne a bhaint amach agus a choinneáil i gcomhthéacs luachanna cothromaíocha níos leithne na Scoile a chuireann fáilte roimh éagsúlacht ar roinnt mhaith bealaí. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an bhFoireann Féinmheasúnaithe, a bhí stiúrtha ag an Dr Christian Martin, leis an Oifig CÉI san Ollscoil, a bhfuil Gemma Irvine i gceannas uirthi, le Athena Swan na hÉireann, agus leis na mic léinn agus baill foirne go léir a ghlac páirt sa phróiseas ach go háirithe.”
Dúirt an tOllamh Eeva Leinonen, Uachtarán Ollscoil Mhá Nuad: “Is mór an pléisiúr dom comhghairdeas a ghabháil le Scoil an Ghnó as an ngaisce de Ghradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan a bhaint amach. Tá an gradam úd tar éis a bheith bainte amach ag sé Roinn in Ollscoil Mhá Nuad agus ag Dámh amháin (a bhfuil sé Roinn agus dhá Scoil mar chuid di). Cuirimse fáilte roimh an aitheantas seo go bhfuil Scoil an Ghnó tiomanta do chultúr de chomhionannas inscne a chur chun cinn agus go bhfuil Ollscoil Mhá Nuad tiomanta do luachanna de chomhionannas, éagsúlachta, ionchuimsitheacht agus idirchultúrachas ag leibhéal na Roinne agus na Scoile a leabú anseo.”
Dúirt an Dr Christian Martin, Cathaoirleach Fhoireann Féinmheasúnaithe Scoil an Ghnó: “Tá ríméad orainn go bhfuil gradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan roinne faighte againn. Tréaniarracht na foirne a bhí anseo Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le mo chomhghleacaithe sa Scoil agus leo siúd ar an bhFoireann Féinmheasúnaithe agus lenár gcomhghleacaithe san Oifig CÉI agus in oifigí eile de chuid na hOllscoile as an méid a chuireadar leis an tionscadal. Cé gur thug an féin-mheasúnú Athena Swan le fios go gcreideann muintir Scoil an Ghnó go láidir sa chomhionannas, san éagsúlacht agus san iomchuimsitheacht, tá sé tar éis bheith ina chabhair mhór chomh maith chun gur féidir linn réimsí a aithint ina bhfuil barr feabhais le baint amach againn. Táimid ag súil le tógaint ar an mbunús atá againn anois agus le comhionannas, éagsúlacht agus ionchuimsitheacht a chur chun cinn sa Scoil.”
Dúirt an Dr Gemma Irvine, Leasuachtarán don Chomhionannas agus Éagsúlacht: “Comhghairdeas ó chroí le Scoil an Ghnó as an ngaisce de Ghradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan a bhaint amach. Tá rath an iarratais mar thoradh ar obair dhian ár gcomhghleacaithe sa Scoil féin agus thar timpeall na hOllscoile chun tabhairt faoi fhéin-mheasúnú criticiúil agus faoi Phlean Gníomhaíochta le spriocanna áirithe a leagadh amach go leanfar ar aghaidh le comhionannas inscne, éagsúlacht agus ionchuimsitheacht a chur chun cinn thar thréimhse cheithre bliana an ghradaim. Tugann Cairt Athena Swan na hÉireann creatlach inbhuanaithe don Ollscoil agus d’earnáil na n-Institiúidí Ardoideachais chun gur féidir spás a chur ar fáil d’obair chomhionannais atá bunaithe ar fhianaise maidir leis na cúiseanna comhionannais atá cumhdaithe i reachtaíocht na hÉireann.”
Le haghaidh tuilleadh eolais:
Jennie Rothwell, Oifigeach don Tionscadal Comhionannais, Ollscoil Mhá Nuad, athenaswan@mu.ie