UsherInstituteEquityDiversityCommittee

The overall purpose of the Usher EDI Committee is to promote and foster the mainstreaming of equity, diversity and inclusion issues and awareness within the Usher Institute by building good practice in relation to EDI across the full range of Usher activities (i.e., education, engagement, and research). 

The Usher EDI Committee will:

• Bring together staff and students from across Usher, with interest and expertise in the EDI to identify, discuss, advise on and take forward all aspects of policy and its implementation.
• Bring together staff and students in sub-groups and short-life working groups to work on EDI identified issues.
• Identify EDI issues and present proposals for addressing these to the Usher Senior Leadership Team or Usher Executive, with implementation being the responsibility of Centre/Area Directors following approval.
• Act as local ambassadors for EDI, disseminate EDI related information (including, news and information from the CMVM EDI committee) and contribute to implementation of the CMVM EDI Action plan.

The Usher EDI Committee Chair will:

• Lead the Usher EDI Committee in promoting EDI for staff and students within Usher.
• Convene/co-convene the Usher EDI Committee meetings.
• Take an active interest in, and have an overview of, EDI related work within Usher.
• Refine and develop the EDI priorities for Usher in partnership with staff and students.
• Contribute to embedding EDI in all Usher’s activities.
• Support and develop staff through training and access to EDI expertise.
• Represent Usher on the CMVM EDI Committee. 
• Build collaborative relationships with the Chairs of EDI Committees and groups across CMVM.

The Usher EDI Committee Chair’s standard terms of office will be three years, renewable at the discretion of the Usher Institute’s Director and its Chief Academic Officer.

• The Usher EDI Committee will meet as required to fulfil its remit, expected to be at least quarterly.
• Between meetings, the committee will conduct some business asynchronously (e.g., via email or Microsoft Teams).
• Committee business requiring a decision by committee (for example, those concerning use of the committee’s funds) will be voted on. When possible, votes will take place in committee meetings; when a decision is required between meetings or when a meeting is not quorate, voting will take place via electronic means (e.g., an online poll). Such decisions will require a quorum.
• The committee will aim to promote transparency, inclusion and engagement in its working. Minutes and relevant papers from meetings will be circulated to committee members and made available to other Usher staff and students upon request.
• The committee Chair and Deputy/Co-Chair will submit reports on the committee’s business, as required, to the CMVM EDI Committee Co-Leads and the CMVM Dean of Equity, Inclusion & Community, and the Usher Senior Leadership Team and Usher Executive.

The committee will be composed of 12-15 members representing a range of different roles within and across Usher, including:

• Representation of staff from each of the different job categories including: professional services; academic (teaching and research); research-only. 
• Representation of staff on fixed-term contract and open-ended contracts.
• A member of the HR team.
• A postgraduate research (PGR) student representative.
• Representation from each of the Usher Centres and Units.

The anticipated time commitment for each member of the committee is expected to be 4-5 hours a month. Members’ standard term of office will be three years, renewable at the discretion of the Usher EDI Committee Chair and Deputy/Co-Chair.

Committee membership will be advertised within Usher. Applicants will be required to submit a statement to outline how they would contribute to the EDI Committee and its remit, along with a summary of any relevant experience.

• As noted above, the committee will meet as required to fulfil its remit, expected to be at least quarterly.
• Committee meetings will be held in a format that facilitates inclusive engagement (for example, hybrid format to allow both in-person and remote attendance).
• A rotating member of the committee will be responsible for taking and circulating minutes and actions from each meeting.

A quorum for a meeting and for decisions will be seven members.

Committee members must declare any potential conflicts of interest before participating in discussions or decisions related to those conflicts.

These Terms of Reference will be reviewed and updated every three years or as needed to ensure they remain relevant and effective.

• Subcommittees: The committee may establish subcommittees to address specific areas of focus or to delegate tasks.

Previous meeting

Last updated 29 January 2026, 12:05 p.m.