Announcement regarding Dr. Minelle Mahtani
A message on behalf of Andrew Szeri, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Vancouver
I write to announce that Dr. Minelle Mahtani will be leaving her position as Senior Advisor to the Provost on Racialized Faculty at the end of this month, to pursue new opportunities with both a faculty fellowship at UBC’s Public Humanities Hub, and as the new 2021-23 Brenda and David McLean Chair in Canadian Studies, in the Faculty of Arts. We are very pleased for Dr. Mahtani, but sad to be losing her many contributions in the Provost’s Office.
Dr. Mahtani joined the Provost‘s Office in September 2018, in the newly created role of Senior Advisor – the first of its kind in Canada – to support UBC’s institutional commitment to advancing equity and inclusion in the scholarly and leadership environment for faculty members. Her two-year term was renewed in September 2020 owing to her many achievements in advancing opportunities for racialized faculty at the Vancouver campus.
Accomplishments during her first term include the creation of the IGNITE book club series, where racialized faculty members at UBC interview racialized writers, and the Provost’s Distinguished Lecture Series on Race and Leadership. Additionally, Dr. Mahtani convened a roundtable with communication experts at the university to share best strategies and practices in communicating stories related to equity, diversity and inclusion.
Dr. Mahtani has successfully influenced policies and practices that promote equity for racialized faculty, in collaboration with the Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion, the Senior Advisor to the Provost on Women and Gender-Diverse Faculty, and with Faculties and administrative units. Adjacent to this, she has also provided recommendations regarding specific strategies and ways to support UBC’s leadership in creating a welcoming and inclusive community for racialized faculty.
Dr. Mahtani is currently a member of UBC’s Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, which has convened for an intense period of work between March and July 2021. Their outputs, including recommendations and a final report, will inform us as we revisit the Senior Advisor to the Provost on Racialized Faculty role and other portfolio positions in support of equity, diversity and inclusion.
I wish to thank Dr. Mahtani for all the work she has done to advance opportunities for racialized faculty at UBC, and offer my heartfelt congratulations to her on the exciting new opportunities that lie ahead.