Silver Athena SWAN Award for UCD School of Veterinary Medicine
We are delighted to announce that the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine has been awarded a Silver Athena SWAN award for demonstrating its commitment to improving gender equality for those working and studying in the School. This is recognition of the hard work put in by staff and students across the School in creating an environment where equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is paramount.
A huge thank you to our VetEDIAS committee, co-chairs Assoc Prof Cliona Skelly and Prof Stephen Gordon, Project Coordinator Eimear Burkley and staff and students who contributed over the past 5 years. Our School has received only the second departmental Silver Award in UCD, following the success of our colleagues in the School of Agriculture and Food Science in 2023. The Athena SWAN Silver Action Plan for 2024-2028 provides the framework for our next steps on the Athena SWAN journey.
Following assessment by peer review panels made up of colleagues working across the Irish higher education sector, twelve awards were conferred in the latest assessment round for Athena SWAN Ireland.
Commenting on the awards, Sarah Fink, Head of Athena SWAN Ireland, said, “These awards highlight the fantastic commitment and work of all these institutions and departments in bringing about change through impactful and sustainable gender equality. Congratulations to all those who work so hard to achieve and sustain this effort."
An awards ceremony is expected to take place in November which will include many of the lessons and experiences of the awardees in the Athena SWAN submissions.
About Athena SWAN Ireland
The Athena SWAN charter launched in the Republic of Ireland in early 2015. The extension of the charter to Ireland was made possible through funding from the Higher Education Authority (HEA), which covers applications to the charter from 21 higher education institutions. Engagement with the charter is a key pillar of Ireland’s national strategy for gender equality with progress linked to institutional eligibility for funding from Ireland’s major research agencies. All of Ireland’s universities and institutes of technology and several colleges participate in Athena SWAN Ireland.
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. The objective of the Athena SWAN Ireland 2021 charter framework is to support higher education institutions, academic departments, and professional units in impactful and sustainable gender equality work and to build capacity for evidence-based equality work across the equality grounds enshrined in Irish legislation.
Find out more here: (opens in a new window)https://advance-he.ac.uk/equality-charters/international-charters/athena-swan-ireland