The University of Westminster held its sixth annual Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Open Forum, bringing together colleagues and students from across the University to explore how inclusive behaviours and decision-making shape everyday experiences at Westminster.
This year's forum, held on 8 June at the Marylebone Campus, was themed Inclusion in Practice, reflecting the University's continued commitment to embedding EDI, not as a set of principles, but as a lived reality across teaching, research, professional services and community life.
The day opened with reflections from EDI Committee Co-Chairs Professor Dibyesh Anand, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and Employability, and Dr Deborah Husbands, who were joined by Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Bonfield, alongside Rajat Shah, EDI Officer, and Clare Peterson, EDI Manager. Together they acknowledged the progress made since the forum's founding and set out the continued work required to build a truly inclusive university.
Clare Peterson reflected on what collective action demands in practice, noting that inclusion becomes real when it shows up in everyday life, through the choices people make, conversations they have and the spaces people create together. This was followed with updates on institutional priorities, including the University's ongoing Athena Swan activity, presented by Dr Miriam Dwek and James Boston, which is a UK-wide framework that recognises and improves gender equality and inclusion across universities.
The first workshop invited colleagues and students to identify the single most impactful EDI priority for the next four years, with discussions generating a wide range of ideas that will feed directly into the EDI Strategy Implementation Plan. Student voices then took the stage, with EDI School Champions sharing initiatives and insights on creating more inclusive learning environments. Presentations from EDI School and Professional Services Leads demonstrated how inclusive practice is being embedded across the full breadth of University activity.
The afternoon featured updates from the Westminster Programme for Enhancing Inclusion, Belonging, and Sustainable Development and the Global Engagement Teams, followed by contributions from Westminster's Colleague networks, including the BME Network, Colleague Disability Network, Women of Westminster, Q+ Network and Faith, and Spirituality and Belief Network. Each highlighted the central role networks play in fostering belonging, advocacy and community across the University.
A panel with the three Deputy Vice-Chancellors explored the role of leadership in driving inclusion in the University’s four strategic priorities: Education, Global Engagement, Employability, and Research and Knowledge Exchange. The final workshop, led by Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Education and Student Experience Professor Catherine O'Connor, invited participants to identify where exclusion can occur and propose practical solutions.
The forum concluded with reflections from the organisers, reaffirming the University's collective commitment to challenging systemic barriers and making inclusion a lived reality at Westminster.
About the event, Professor Anand said: “The space of EDI is an interesting one where some desire a safe community of shared ideas and others want debate over how to navigate contested ideas and practices. Over the years at our University, we have worked hard to build a community based on challenging prejudices and celebrating diversities. This annual Open Forum brought together colleagues and students from very different areas of the institution. What emerged was not uniformity of approach but a sharing of the beauty of diverse identities, ideas and approaches, leading to an inclusive outcome. That outcome is a University where everyone feels at home. Gratitude and pride are what I have for everyone involved!”
Grayson Kejr, one of the students who attended, added: “Being part of the EDI Open Forum has been one of the highlights of my time at Westminster. Throughout the forum, every colleague showed their genuine dedication and care to matters relating to EDI and the work each student champion had achieved. Given that EDI Student Champions act as the bridge between the students and the University as an institution, seeing this commitment has been incredibly special and I wish more students were able to witness the more behind-the-scenes endeavors as I have.”
This event directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Learn more about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Westminster.
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