Thompson Rivers University has received grant funding towards equity, diversity and inclusion

Photo: Castanet Staff

Thompson Rivers University will be the recipient of a $400,000 federal government grant aimed at improving equity, diversity and inclusion.

TRU is one of 12 post-secondary institutions nationally chosen to be awarded an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) institutional capacity-building grant supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

“We are delighted to have been awarded an EDI capacity-building grant to support the EDI work that has been taking place at TRU for the past few years,” Christine Bovis-Cnossen, TRU's provost and vice-president academic and research, said in a press release.

“We are committed, through our vision, to ensure a sense of belonging at TRU, or Kw’seltktnéws. This grant allows us to expand the transformational focus of our EDI initiatives, and to claim space as a leader in this area.”

The goal is improve EDI through identifying and eliminating systemic barriers that hinder the career advancement, recruitment and retention of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups in Canadian post-secondary institutions.

There will be an EDI office created at TRU, which will conduct research to improve the learning and working environment to be more diverse, inclusive and equal. The funds will be allocated to this office which will also be a hub for EDI initiatives, as well as to the Provost’s Anti-Racism Task Force findings.

TRU implemented a vision to ensure the university is a place of belonging and there are EDI focused training for interculturalization, anti-harassment, direct discrimination and unconscious bias.