Recent figures from Advance HE indicate that staff and student populations have become more ethnically diverse. In two decades, there has been an increase from 8.6% to 17.5% among staff, and from 14.9% to 27% among home students. A review of different trends in indicators show that various inequalities affect racially minoritised staff and students disproportionately. For example, racially minoritised staff are underrepresented in permanent contracts, senior management positions and higher salary bands compared to their White colleagues. Regarding students, racially minoritised students are underrepresented among those who make it through the pipeline to enter a postgraduate or research degree. Additionally, the higher education sector in the UK has strengthened calls for institutions to tackle degree awarding gaps for good degrees (1st or 2:1), which appear to be the largest when comparing Black and White students, and strikingly more pronounced when considering the subset of first degrees only.
Institutions have attempted to address these inequalities using different strategies, ranging from pledging their commitment to race equity in their institutional strategies and policies, to more targeted interventions to support staff’s careers and students’ experiences. Achieving institutional commitment and action has not been an easy feat for the staff and students, as well as senior leaders who push for change. They have often faced resistance from colleagues, lack of long-term commitment and scarce financial support.
In response to these challenges, and as part of their commitment to address systemic inequalities, Advance HE commissioned the Education, Youth and Civic Engagement (EYCE) Hub to develop guidance based on sector experiences.
As a result, this report:
- Addresses the problem of gaining endorsement and sustained support to develop and implement race equity initiatives in higher education institutions.
- Offers a set of guidelines for staff and students seeking to design and implement this type of initiative.
This report is accessible in a member-only space. Interested staff members of institutions signed up to REC can access the report via AHE Connect.