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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Sunderland was recently named University of the Year for Social Inclusion (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021).

Inclusivity is a value at the heart of the University strategy, expressing our commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Responsibility (EDISR).

EDISR is intrinsic to everything we do as a University and to every aspect of our student and staff experience, including who we attract to study and work here, their experiences and opportunities to achieve and the impact they have in the future.

The University believes that everybody should be treated with equality and dignity and it is our civic duty to have practices that add value beyond compliance with equality legislation.

Professor Jon Timmis, Deputy Vice-Chancellor

The University of Sunderland values and celebrates the diversity of all its students and staff. We are committed to providing an environment free from discrimination, bullying, harassment or victimisation, where all members of our community are treated with respect and dignity.

We aim to create a culture of diversity and inclusion within our community, providing a dynamic working and learning environment, where all members are valued for their contribution and individuality.

Through our policies and practices we work to ensure that our students and staff are welcome in our community and do not face discrimination with regard to any aspect of their identity, such as age, disability, gender (including gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and maternity), ethnicity (including race, colour or nationality), religion or belief (including non-belief) or sexual orientation.

We recognise that to be truly effective, equality, diversity and inclusivity should be considered across all facets of the University’s delivery, from cleaning and catering to lectures and library services. Mainstreaming starts with effective policies and procedures and goes beyond this to the culture of our University, moving equality, diversity and inclusion away from being seen as a ‘bolt-on’ activity to being an integral part of the way our students and staff think and behave.

Justine Gillespie, Equality Diversity and Inclusion Manager

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Contact us

We welcome feedback on Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Responsibility.

Please contact our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, justine.gillespie@sunderland.ac.uk or,
the Student Union LGBTQ+ Officer at yoursu@sunderland.ac.uk.