Wellbeing, Inclusion, and Culture
The Centre for Ecology & Conservation is dedicated to fostering a thriving, diverse, and globally engaged community for all staff, students, and visitors. This aligns with our institutional Strategy 2030.
Our inclusive and collaborative academic community values individuals as vital contributors to the success of the Department, University, and themselves. Visitors often note the ‘energy’ and ‘buzz’ of our department and campus, and we strive to ensure that this vibrant atmosphere is accessible to all. Our commitment extends to ensuring that all students, researchers, and educators have equal opportunities for personal and career development, irrespective of their background.
We recognise imbalance in the representation of protected characteristics in our department’s structure and governance, and we work hard to address this. Nevertheless, we are proud of the achievements we have made towards our aims, such as the Athena Swan Silver Award for gender equality in Higher Education, and we are working towards charter status for Ethnicity and Neurodiversity.
Wellbeing and inclusion sit at the heart of our department's decision making processes, linking with The University of Exeter’s Strategy 2030. Central to our efforts is the Wellbeing, Inclusion, and Culture Committee (WICC), drawing members from diverse sections of the Centre for Ecology & Conservation's community, with chairs that are members of the department’s management committee. The WICC serves as a driving force for change, leveraging its collective perspectives and experiences to identify focus areas, implement initiatives and use positive action to make sure learning and career opportunities are available to everyone.
The WICC’s initiatives may be related to protected characteristics, such as race and ethnicity, disability, LGBTQI+, gender, or may include broader initiatives under the remit of the University of Exeter’s WICC. We also have networks at multiple levels to offer support, including personal tutors for undergraduates, pastoral tutors for postgraduate researchers, and personal mentors for staff, plus trained Speak Out Guardians and Dignity and Respect Advisors available to all.
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Wellbeing & Inclusion Committee (WIC)
"To build an inclusive department where people feel supported and valued, using evidence and a focus on solutions"
In our department, fostering a diverse and inclusive community is a paramount commitment, and our WIC (Wellbeing and Inclusion) committee plays a central role in this mission.
We pride ourselves on a membership that reflects the diversity of our academic community. We are dedicated to ensuring representation across various dimensions, including job families, roles, academic and professional services, grades, teaching, research, part-time, full-time, and gender. Recognising the significance of student voices, we have established a sub-committee specifically dedicated to student perspectives, with their representation integrated into the main committee.
The primary responsibility of the WIC committee is to monitor and advance progress towards our department’s EDI priorities, as well as uphold the principles outlined in the Athena Swan charter. This involves a comprehensive approach that spans all aspects of our academic environment.
The committee convenes monthly and the knowledge and decisions arising from these meetings are disseminated widely into our community through regular updates in departmental weekly bulletins and monthly meetings.
Silver Athena Swan Charter
We take great pride in our long term commitment to promoting gender equality in our department. This has been exemplified by our longstanding Athena Swan Silver Award, which we have proudly held since 2014. This prestigious recognition underscores our dedication to creating an environment that fosters the success and progression of female scientists in academia.
