South East Technological University Equitas HE (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education)  Conference

Across the breadth of the Irish Higher Education landscape, Institutions are committed to building diverse, equitable and inclusive spaces. South East Technological University Waterford  is committed to creating and supporting a welcoming campus community that promotes and advances equality, respects and values diversity, and develops a culture in which the human rights and dignity of all students and staff are recognised and respected. We are therefore pleased to launch a call for papers for our upcoming conference: EDI in Irish Higher Education, to be held in SETU on 25^th and 26^th May 2023. The conference theme is Policy into Practice. The aim of the conference is to contribute to the continuing development of EDI in HE and to provide a platform for new and emerging research, policy and action in the field.

We wish to highlight and celebrate the growth of EDI policy and practice across HE. Embracing a multidisciplinary approach, this conference aspires to share and promote best practice in all aspects of EDI. It is open to academics across disciplines, to researchers, graduate students, managers, EDI practitioners, administrators, and all who are interested in EDI in HE. Using a Freirean lens, we look beyond ‘banking education’ to praxis, the unique and the everyday actions, which challenge the status quo, and inspire change. We seek to celebrate diversity and the rich contribution of all our students and staff to campus life.

When diversity is embraced and valued, it can close achievement gaps for students, improve graduation rates, and provide exposure to multiple cultures with a broadened worldview. This helps students, and colleges, prepare to be successful in a multicultural world

This conference is envisaged as a safe space for practitioners and policy makers at all levels to critically reflect on societal and educational challenges, such as gendered, racial, and ableist hierarchies of voice, authority, and validity. We call for papers that foster critical multiculturalism, and promote contemporary understandings of EDI. We hope to explore the various dimensions of equality in education, and to provide a range of approaches to challenge societal inequalities.