Associate Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Athen Swan post 2022 Bronze Award logo banner on coloured background (English)

The role of Associate Dean for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities was established in 2021 to bridge the Faculty’s Athena SWAN Submission with the implementation of the subsequent Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP).

By September 2023, the Associate Dean(s) successfully completed their assigned tasks, and the role came to an end. To continue advancing EDI initiatives, the Faculty established the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee. This Committee serves as a forum for discussing EDI matters affecting all units within the Faculty, overseeing the implementation of the Faculty’s GEAP, and ensuring progress toward maintaining the Athena SWAN Bronze Award while laying the groundwork for the Silver Award. It plays a key role in promoting inclusivity, fairness, and equal opportunities for both staff and students.

Faculty EDI Committee

The Committee plays a key role in promoting inclusivity, fairness, and equal opportunities for both staff and students.

Role and Responsibilities

The EDI Committee has two main functions:

EDI Advocacy & Awareness: The Committee highlights best practices, raises awareness of national and university EDI policies, and supports staff in developing EDI-related skills. It also collaborates with Faculty leadership and university-wide committees to bring forward proposals and recommendations.
Athena SWAN & Gender Equality: The Committee coordinates and monitors actions outlined in the GEAP, engages relevant Faculty units and University offices, and leads initiatives to advance gender equality.

Committee Membership

The Committee is designed to be inclusive and representative of the Faculty community, ensuring diversity in:

Gender balance, disciplines, and career levels (academic, professional staff, students).
Membership selection through nomination and invitation.
Leadership with a Chair appointed from within the Committee.
Flexible roles, allowing role-sharing arrangements.

EDI Representatives

Each department or school nominates an EDI Representative - a staff member committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion. Their key responsibilities include:

Communicating Committee actions and policies within their department.
Raising awareness of EDI issues and ensuring they are discussed at meetings.
Supporting diversity initiatives like the Athena Swan Charter.
Providing guidance and acting as a point of contact for staff and students.

Elected Representatives

In addition to EDI Representatives, elected members from administrative staff, postdoctoral researchers, university tutors, postgraduates, and undergraduates serve similar roles, ensuring that all voices are heard and that EDI efforts are embedded across the Faculty.

Meetings

The Committee meets at least six times per academic year to discuss ongoing initiatives, monitor progress, and respond to emerging EDI issues.

Faculty Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee

Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Terms of Reference

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee (EDI Committee) is set up as an advisory body to the Faculty. Its role is to discuss matters of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) that concern all units within the Faculty. It will assist the Dean in bringing proposals and recommendations to the general Faculty meetings that relate to EDI matters. It will also collaborate with the relevant Academic Council committees, and its counterparts in the other Faculties.

The specific remit of the EDI Committee, reporting to and subject to oversight and review by the Faculty, is to:

Showcase examples of excellence in EDI which are happening across the Faculty
Assist in establishing and maintaining uniformly high levels of EDI and non-discrimination for staff and students in Faculty
Raise awareness of existing EDI policies at national and university level
Identify areas where training and seminars might support Faculty staff in developing skills regarding EDI
Understand the diversity of participation in students and staff at all levels and highlight areas where EDI may be improved
Promote the Office of the Vice President for Equality & Diversity in university-wide EDI initiatives
Liaise with Faculty and wider committees on findings and events
Interact with university committees such as T&L and Research committees to support the EDI agenda

Furthermore the EDI Committee oversees the implementation of the Faculty’s Athena Swan Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) and works to ensure that the Faculty maintains Athena SWAN Bronze Award and lays foundations for the Silver Award. As part of this task, the Committee aims to:

Coordinate and monitor the implementation of the actions and tasks laid down in the GEAP with attention to the given timeframes,
Perform actions and task of GEAP that are assigned to the former EDI Associate Dean, the Athena Swan Implementation Group and its Working Groups,
Involve the relevant Faculty unites and/or other University offices in the implementation process and support their activities
Lead on the progression of the Faculty on gender equality initiatives such as membership of the Athena Swan Charter;
Take initiatives to identify areas for further consideration which are not covered by the GEAP but are necessary to respond to emerging policy changes on gender equality;
Promote the GEAP and all gender initiatives within the Faculty;
Liaise with appropriate offices of the University to promote collaboration in Athena Swan actions and initiatives.

The EDI Committee meets at least six times per academic year.

Membership of the Faculty EDI committee

The Committee is assembled via nomination and invitation, to include a diverse representation of Faculty members. Membership is representative of the Faculty community including gender balance and diversity; disciplines and grades; staff and students.

The Chair of the EDI Committee is appointed from the members. The Committee supports the model of collaborative leadership.

The Committee also encourages role-sharing arrangements in the positions. Role-sharing arrangement means that reporting to and from the Committee and any other duties associated with the seat are shared between the role share partners. Rights associated with the seat including voting are also shared between the role share partners.

Ex officio roles/areas of representation are:

Number of members	Details
1	Dean of Faculty or Associate Dean of Faculty
1	Faculty Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning
1	Faculty Associate Dean for Research and Engagement
1	Faculty representative of the University’s EDI Committee
8	1 representative from each School and Department within the Faculty (hereinafter: EDI Representatives)
1	Faculty Officer of the Faculty

Appointed members are representatives from:

Number of members	Details
1	Administrative staff
1	Technical staff
1	University Tutors
1	Postdoctoral Researchers
1	Postgraduate Students
1	Undergraduate Students

Notes:

Members can serve multiple roles within the Committee.

Where the requirements are for members from a subset of Departments and Schools such that not all Departments and Schools will be represented, the Departments or Schools from which nominations are chosen will be decided by the drawing of lots at the start of the academic year. It is expected that each member will be from a different Department / School.

EDI Representatives

EDI Representatives are culturally sensitive staff members who are nominated by their Department / School and have a commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.

The main roles of EDI Representatives include:

Communicating the relevant actions of the EDI Committee to their Departments / Schools.
Raising awareness of EDI issues, ensuring that they are discussed at Department / School meetings,
Supporting and encouraging involvement in diversity initiatives, e.g. the Athena Swan Charter,
Providing assistance in the implementation of GEAP actions at Department / School level.
Initiating EDI and Athena Swan as key standing agenda items at Department / School meetings,
Providing advice, guidance and support on EDI issues,
Promoting a culture where staff and students are treated fairly and with dignity and respect,
Sharing local issues with the EDI Committee to identify those issues that require Faculty or institutional action,
Being visible and proactive within their Department / School,
Being a point of contact for staff who wish to raise concerns by signposting them to University policies and services,
Actively promoting staff and student EDI groups or events.

The EDI Representatives report on their workload to their Heads of Department / School annually.

In order to ensure gender balance, Heads of School and Heads of Department shall nominate two members of their unit for this role, at least one of whom should be female. The Dean will then appoint the EDI Representatives from these nominations in order to ensure gender balance and to ensure that the Committee represents a diverse cross-section of staff in the Faculty.

Committee Members

FAH EDI Committee membership 2024-25

Ex officio roles/areas of representation are:

Professor Alison Hood - Dean of Faculty or Associate Dean of Faculty
Dr Susi Gottlöber - Faculty Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning
Dr Anne O’Brien - Faculty Associate Dean for Research and Engagement
Dr Agnes Kiss - Faculty Officer of the Faculty

+ Dept / School EDI reps

Dr Eoghan Moloney - Ancient Classics
Professor Moynagh Sullivan / Professor Colin Graham (shared) - English
Dr Jennifer Redmond / Professor Dónal Hassett (shared) - History
Dr El Putnam / Anne Byrne / Dr Simon Hewitt (shared) - Media Studies
Dr Laura Watson / Dr Adam Behan (shared) - Music
Dr Mette Lebech / Dr David O'Brien (shared) - Philosophy
Dr Nora White / Dr Eoin Grogan - Celtic Studies
Dr Julie Rodgers / Dr Loïc Bourdeau (shared) - SMLLC

Appointed members are representatives from:

Sue Crofton (SMLLC) - Administrative Staff
Líadan Ní Chearbhaill (Celtic Studies) - University Tutors
Joe Curran (History) - Postdoctoral Researchers
Benjamin Bayley (History) - Postgraduate Students
Caitlin Hickey (SMLLC) - Undergraduate Students

Former Associate Dean for EDI: Role & Impact

The Role of the Associate Dean for EDI

The role of Associate Dean for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities was established in 2021 to bridge the Faculty’s Athena SWAN submission with the implementation of the subsequent Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP). By September 2023, the Associate Dean(s) successfully completed their assigned tasks, bringing the role to a close.

Their primary responsibility was to provide expertise and leadership in the Faculty’s Athena SWAN submission and to ensure continuity in EDI efforts during the implementation of the GEAP. Most importantly, the creation of this role underscored the Faculty’s strong commitment to real change through the Athena SWAN process—it was also the first such Associate Deanship established in any faculty at Maynooth University.

The Associate Dean for EDI co-chaired the Faculty’s successful Athena Swan Bronze Award application and led the Athena Swan Implementation Group, working to maintain the Bronze Award and lay the foundation for a future Silver Award submission. Athena Swan accreditation is central to institutional eligibility for HEA research funding and serves as a key driver of equality and inclusion. Therefore, advocacy was also an essential part of the Associate Dean’s role.

Additionally, the Associate Dean for EDI was a member of the Maynooth University Gender Equality Steering Group, acting as a liaison between the Faculty and the Vice President for Equality & Diversity.

Collaborative and Adaptive Leadership

When the post was advertised in 2021, Professor Moynagh Sullivan and Dr Catherine Gander (both from the Department of English) co-applied for the position to promote a gender-responsive model of collaborative leadership and expand leadership opportunities for mothers and carers. This built on their previous experience co-leading their department’s Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team and continued their shared approach to leadership.

Dr. Gander and Prof. Sullivan alternated in the role, supporting and consulting each other while not on rotation. Their leadership ensured that EDI and Athena Swan remained standing items on Faculty meeting agendas, formalizing EDI as a priority alongside research and teaching & learning (T&L). This reinforced the understanding that EDI principles underpin and drive progress in both research and T&L across the Faculty.

Research

Undergraduate Studies

Postgraduate Studies

International

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