Governing for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

University College Dublin has a long tradition of promoting equality and has recognised that, as a matter of strategic priority, it needs to do more. As the largest university in Ireland, UCD faces challenges which are experienced both by large organisations generally and universities in particular in delivering on equality commitments. National policy has recently focused on the very poor representation of women in the most senior professor grade, with only just over 20 per cent of such posts being held by women. This government attention has been part of a wider set of changes which have encouraged Irish universities to seek to raise their game with respect to equality matters, but with the risk that gender equality may crowd out wider issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. This is the context for this short article which reflects on recent experience of addressing the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda at UCD, examining the national policy environment and ethos and values lying behind current strategy and policies and addressing challenges both of governance and implementation.