The Maynooth University Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies, and Philosophy has been awarded 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 both good practices and areas in need of cultural and organisational change.
The Faculty is one of the first in Ireland to be awarded the Bronze Athena Swan accreditation. The Self-Assessment Team for the application numbered 39 colleagues from the Faculty’s six Departments and two Schools, including co-chairs Dr Catherine Gander (Associate Dean for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, EDI), Professor Colin Graham (Dean of the Faculty), Professor Marian Lyons, and Dr Moynagh Sullivan (Associate Dean for EDI), as well as members of the EDI Office.
At the heart of the application is a four-year Gender Action Plan that addresses key areas and challenges to gender equality. The 35-point Plan includes:
- Extending the Faculty’s established Early Career Academic Mentoring scheme to Mid-Career Academics;
- Ensuring good practice flexible working arrangements across the Faculty;
- Requiring Departments and Schools to commit a budget line for career development training for Administrative staff;
- Ensuring Bias Awareness Training for all staff involved in the recruitment of students and staff;
- Instituting EDI Representatives at Department and School levels across the Faculty.
Prof Colin Graham, Co-chair, and Dean of the Faculty said: “The success of this application is the result of the hard work of colleagues across the Faculty and the University. It is a testimony to their collective commitment to ensure that gender equality is central to the culture of the Faculty. We are really proud of this achievement and ready for the next steps as we implement our Gender Action Plan.”
Prof Eeva Leinonen, President of Maynooth University, said: “It is with great pleasure that I congratulate the Faculty on their achievement of Athena Swan Bronze. We are well on our way to our goal to become a model university for equality, diversity, inclusion and interculturalism with almost most half of our departments/schools now having achieved Athena Swan Bronze. The Athena Swan Ireland Charter provides a useful framework to support HEIs in impactful and sustainable gender equality work and to build capacity for evidence-based equality work across the equality grounds enshrined in Irish legislation. ”
Dr Catherine Gander, Co-chair and Associate Dean for EDI, commented: “I’m delighted that the enormous amount of work put into this application by so many valued colleagues has been recognised. This Athena Swan Bronze Award is a significant milestone in the life and culture of the Faculty, but there is much work ahead of us. I look forward to working with colleagues to implement our Gender Action Plan and to help ensure that the Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies, and Philosophy at Maynooth is a leader in advancing gender equality across the sector.”
Dr Gemma Irvine, Vice President for Equality & Diversity, said: “I’d like to congratulate the Faculty on achieving their Athena Swan Bronze. It takes one year of hard work including data collection, consultation with staff and students, and critical reflection to fully assess and identify positives and gaps in organisational policy, practice and culture. Translating this into an action plan with targeted actions for the entire Faculty over the next four years is an enormous undertaking. I very much look forward to working with the Faculty on this important agenda.”
Prof Marian Lyons, Co-chair, said: “I wish to thank all colleagues in the Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies & Philosophy and in the wider University for the time and effort that they invested in preparing this application in particularly challenging circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic, and for their commitment to enhancing gender equality at MU and across the sector in the years ahead.”
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 the 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 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. Thirteen Maynooth University Departments/Schools have now achieved Athena Swan Bronze: in addition to the six departments and two schools in the Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies & Philosophy, the departments of Chemistry, Psychology, Biology, Geography and Law each hold Bronze Department Awards.
For further information:
Jennie Rothwell, Equality Project Officer, Maynooth University, [email protected]
Bronntar Gradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan ar
Dhámh na n-Ealaíon, an Léinn Cheiltigh agus na Fealsúnachta in OMN
Déardaoin, 31 Márta 2022: Tá Gradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan tar éis bheith bronnta ar Dhámh na n-Ealaíon, an Léinn Cheiltigh agus na Fealsúnachta in Ollscoil Mhá Nuad, mar aitheantas ar obair atá ar bun chun comhionannas inscne a chur chun cinn 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.
Is é an Dámh ceann de na chéad dámha in Éirinn ar a mbronnadh creidiúnú Cré-Umha Athena Swan. Ar an bhFoireann Féinmheasúnaithe don iarratas bhí 39 comhghleacaí ón sé Roinn agus ón dá Scoil sa Dámh, lena n-áirítear comhchathaoirligh an Dr Catherine Gander (Déan Comhlach don Chomhionannas, don Éagsúlacht agus don Ionchuimsitheacht, CÉI), an tOll Colin Graham (Déan na Dáimhe), an tOll Marian Lyons, agus an Dr Moynagh Sullivan (Déan Comhlach don CÉI), chomh maith le baill foirne ón Oifig CÉI.
I gcroílár an iarratais tá Plean Gníomhaíochta Inscne ceithre bliana a thugann aghaidh ar phríomhréimsí agus ar phríomhdhúshláin don chomhionannas inscne. San áireamh sa Phlean 35-pointe tá:
- Scéim Meantóireachta do hAcadóirí go Luath sa Ghairm de chuid na Dáimhe a leathnú go hAcadóirí i Lár na Gairme;
- Socrúcháin oibre sholúbtha dhea-chleachtais a chinntiú thar timpeall na Dáimhe;
- Tiomantas ó na Ranna agus Scoileanna go leagfar líne bhuiséid síos ar mhaithe le hoiliúint um fhorbairt gairmeacha do bhaill foirne Riaracháin;
- Oiliúint um Fheasacht ar Chlaontacht a chinntiú do na baill foirne go léir a bhfuil baint acu le mic léinn agus baill foirne a earcú;
- Ionadaithe CÉI ar leibhéal Roinne agus Scoile thar timpeall na Dáimhe a chinntiú.
Dúirt an tOll Colin Graham, Comhchathaoirleach agus Déan na Dáimhe: “Tá rath an iarratais seo mar thoradh ar an obair dhian atá curtha isteach ag comhghleacaithe thar timpeall na Dáimhe agus na hOllscoile. Teistiméireacht atá anseo ar a gcomhthiomantas chun cinntiú go bhfuil comhionannas inscne i gcroílár chultúr na Dáimhe. Táim an-bhródúil as an ngaisce seo agus réidh anois do na chéad céimeanna eile agus an Plean Gníomhaíochta Inscne á chur i bhfeidhm againn.”
Dúirt an tOll Eeva Leinonen, Uachtarán Ollscoil Mhá Nuad: “Is mór an pléisiúr dom comhghairdeas a ghabháil le muintir na Dáimhe as Gradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan a bhaint amach dóibh féin. Táimid ar ár mbealach go dtí ár sprioc chun feidhmiú mar ollscoil eiseamláireach ó thaobh an chomhionannais, na héagsúlachta, na hionchuimsitheachta agus an idirchultúrachais de le nach mór leath na ranna/na scoileanna tar éis Gradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan a bhaint amach. Cuireann Cairt Athena Swan na hÉireann creatlach úsáideach ar fáil dúinn chun tacú le hInstitiúidí Ardoideachais in obair inbhuanaithe a mbeidh tionchar aici sa chomhionannas inscne agus chun spás a thógaint d’obair chomhionannais bunaithe ar fhianaise maidir le forais chomhionannais atá cumhdaithe i reachtaíocht na hÉireann.”
Bhí an méid seo a leanas le rá ag an Dr Catherine Gander, Comhchathaoirleach agus Déan Comhlach don CÉI: “Tá ríméad orm go bhfuil an t-ualach mór oibre a cuireadh isteach san iarratas seo ag an méid sin comhghleacaithe luachmhara tar éis bheith aitheanta. Is cloch mhíle shuntasach é Gradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan i saol agus cultúr na Dáimhe, ach tá roinnt mhaith oibre fós le déanamh. Táim ag súil le bheith ag obair le comhghleacaithe chun ár bPlean Gníomhaíochta Inscne a chur i bhfeidhm agus le cabhrú chun cinntiú go bhfuil Dámh na n-Ealaíon, an Léinn Cheiltigh agus na Fealsúnachta i Má Nuad ina ceannaire i gcur chun cinn an chomhionannais inscne san earnáil ina bhfuilimid.”
Dúirt an Dr Gemma Irvine, Leasuachtarán don Chomhionannas agus don Éagsúlacht: “Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis an Dámh as Gradam Cré-Umha Athena Swan a bhaint amach. Tógann sé bliain amháin d’obair dhian lena n-áirítear bailiú sonraí, comhairliúchán le baill foirne agus le mic léinn agus machnamh criticiúil chun suailcí agus duailcí i bpolasaí, cleachtas agus cultúr eagraíochtúil a thomhas i gceart. Tá fuíollach i gceist leis seo a aistriú isteach go plean gníomhaíochta don Dámh iomlán le spriocghníomhaíochtaí thar cheithre bliana. Táim ag súil go mór le bheith ag obair leis an Dámh ar an gclár gnó tábhachtach seo.”
Dúirt Marian Lyons, Comhchathaoirleach: “Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le comhghleacaithe i nDámh na n-Ealaíon, an Léinn Cheiltigh agus na Fealsúnachta agus san Ollscoil níos leithne as an am agus as an iarracht a d’infheistigh siad chun an t-iarratas seo a ullmhú i gcúinsí a bhí dúshlánach ach go háirithe le linn na paindéime Covid-19, agus don tiomantas a léirigh siad i gcur chun cinn an chomhionannais inscne in OMN agus thar timpeall na hearnála sna blianta amach romhainn.”
Le haghaidh tuilleadh eolais:
Jennie Rothwell, Oifigeach don Tionscadal Comhionannais, Ollscoil Mhá Nuad, [email protected]
