Dear Colleagues,

 

I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Claudine Bonner has been appointed as the first Vice-Provost, of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Acadia University.

 

Dr. Bonner is an Associate Professor in Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies. She holds a BSc(H) and MEd from Toronto, MA from Dalhousie and a PhD in gender, equity, and social justice from Western.  She has led research projects on Diversity & Equity in Education, African-Caribbean Migration to Cape Breton, and Canada’s 19th-century black press.  She currently serves on the board of the Council of the Canadian Historical Association, VANSDA and the Nova Scotia Women's History Society and was a member of both the President’s Anti-Racism Taskforce and the President’s Advisory Council on Decolonization.

 

Dr. Bonner will start her role as Vice-Provost EDI on September 1 and will be the senior leader responsible for providing vision, excellence, and leadership in support of the University’s EDI initiatives. The Vice-Provost Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is Vice-Chair of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDIAR) Council, and will represent the institution locally and nationally on matters related to EDI. The Vice-Provost is responsible for planning, implementation, and evaluation processes to advance institutional diversity, inclusion, and equity goals.

 

I am very grateful to Dr. Bonner for her willingness to take on this new role. It is an exciting and historic moment for Acadia as we actively embrace equity, diversity and inclusion, and the creation of this position fulfils a major recommendation of the President’s Task Force on Anti-Racism.

 

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Bonner and welcoming her to this important new role.

 

Best wishes,

 

Peter

Dr. Peter Ricketts
President and Vice-Chancellor
Acadia University