To the NSCAD Community,
In recent weeks, the Board of Governors of NSCAD has been actively engaged in listening, learning, reflecting, and discussing ways in which we can contribute to improving the current experience for BIPOC members of the NSCAD community. As a result, I wanted to share the actions we are committed to taking.
From the perspective of NSCAD’s Board of Governors, we continue our strong condemnation of all forms of discrimination and systemic racism, and want to reiterate our commitment to the further diversification of our membership by ensuring representation from the BIPOC community. To that end, we are making a concerted effort to consider a diverse group of candidates as we look to appoint new members of our board. This will be undertaken with the goal of also ensuring all skills regularly identified on the board are met, and that the governance process of identifying candidates follows best governance practices to safeguard the long-term future of our university.
As the Board, we are committed to providing transparency as to how board members are appointed (and the various channels through which Board members are able to be appointed pursuant to our governing legislation) to ensure that we are including diverse voices and perspectives and engaging with as many constituencies as possible with respect to board openings. A new step within this process will be to start an open call for board members every year—a new initiative at NSCAD. Another important step towards greater transparency will be to clearly outline the application process for a board position, including the requirements and selection process, on the public NSCAD website.
Diversity, inclusion and respect for all members (and potential members) of our community are absolutely core values that NSCAD is built upon, and which the Board of Governors supports wholeheartedly. We know we need to continue to strive to do more to ensure those values are further emphasized and upheld. Our ears are alert, our eyes are open, and we are ready to listen and work with the community to ensure the commitment to these values. We look forward to continuing this important conversation in the coming weeks and to matching our actions to our words.
Sincerely,
Louise Anne Comeau, Chair
NSCAD Board of Governors