4. Diversity and inclusion

The increase in the proportion of female professors was mainly due to the appointment of 13 top academics in the Faculty of Medical Sciences. Until this year, Radboud university medical center lagged behind in the proportion of female professors, but it has now made the greatest leap of any university medical centre in the Netherlands. With this catch-up, the proportion has grown to over 30%, roughly on par with the proportion of female professors on the entire campus.

Jan Smit, dean and vice chair of the Executive Board: “For a long time, we had the idea that talent always rises to the top. However, in practice, that was not always the case. Now that these appointments have put more women in key positions and therefore involved them more often in policy-making and application procedures, we are convinced that we have taken another important step towards being a more inclusive organisation.”

How do you make the campus a safe and inclusive space for staff and students, both in the organisation and individually? That question was at the centre of a round of discussions organised this year by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DGI) department. One result was a guide to communication drafted by DGI: the Rules of Engagement. The basic premise is that we are inquisitive creatures who can work without judgement, actively listen and constantly check our biases . The rules were emphasised on Diversity Day in October, which included a workshop (‘The art of looking differently’) in which looking at art gave participants a new perspective on themselves and others.

A Solidarity Week was also organised this year to raise awareness of anti-racism and help us move closer to having an inclusive campus. And at the end of the year, Executive Board President Daniël Wigboldus and Chief Diversity Officer Rona Jualla van Oudenhoven signed the Diversity Charter. Over 250 Dutch and 12,000 European companies have signed the charter, including four Dutch universities.