Equality, diversity & inclusion
Diversity of experience, thought and perspective enriches our university and the lives of its community. It is crucial to our ongoing development as an international institution. Our ambition is to be recognised as a sector leader in identifying and removing systemic barriers associated with race, ethnicity, or national origin, class or socio-economic background, sexuality or gender identity, religion or faith, age, disability, marital status or caring responsibilities, which have previously prevented talented individuals from studying or working with us, or from progressing in their field.
We recognise that historically, differing access to education maintained social inequality. In recent decades progress has been made in higher education to widen participation, but there is more work to be done before we have true equality of academic opportunity and attainment.
We appreciate that not all paths to Loughborough will look the same. We welcome applications from students of all backgrounds, recognising that a diverse student body provides an enriched environment for all. We are committed to identifying applicants with the potential to succeed, including those from non-traditional backgrounds.
The terms Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are sometimes used interchangeably, but each has a distinct and important meaning.
- Equality: Treating all people as equals, with equal dignity and respect.
- Diversity: Recognising that we all benefit when our community comprises people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives and experiences.
- Inclusion: Ensuring that everyone within our University can feel like a part of its community.
Increasing diversity alone is not enough. Increasing equality and inclusion requires all of us to listen to marginalised people, adjust our outlook and make changes to our behaviour and our systems.
Prejudice, discrimination and hate speech have no place at Loughborough and we will continue to foster a culture that reflects this.
Our commitment is reflected by our senior leaders who champion our EDI projects:
- University Champion for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Adèle MacKinlay, Director of People, Organisational Development and EDI
- Academic Diversity Project chaired by Professor Chris Linton, Provost and Deputy Vice Chancellor
- Athena SWAN chaired by Professor Steve Rothberg, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research
- Race Equality Charter chaired by Richard Taylor, Chief Operating Officer
Achieving awards and charters is not always the same as achieving change and we use these schemes as part of a range of measure to inform our EDI strategy.
Below you can find our Calendar for Key Religious and Awareness Dates, which can serve as a guide to support timetabling, work scheduling and event planning to ensure that we provide an inclusive environment for everyone involved with the University. The calendar can also be used for guidance when responding to requests for flexibility on the grounds of religion or belief. You can find out more about our overall People Strategy by visiting our People Strategy Webpage below.