Eleven trailblazing women from, or with links to, the Munster region, have been selected as subjects of Accenture’s Women on Walls at University College Cork (UCC). A group of pioneering women – visionaries and champions who have contributed to the betterment of society – will feature in a new portrait series at UCC. On 26 November, an open call to artists was announced to bring their stories to life through art. 

UCC’s first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Framework and Action Plan was launched on 12 November. 

This Framework and Action Plan aligns with UCC’s Strategic Plan and underpins our university’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). It sets out clear objectives and actions to realise EDI here at UCC over the next four years.  

UCC welcomed its inaugural SoundSquad members on 23 October. 

A dedicated staff carers network was launched in UCC on 17 October. 

To mark National Coming Out Day (11 October), the LGBT+ Pride flag and the Trans Pride flags flew over the North Wing ground level flagpoles. The main Quad was also lit in the rainbow colours. 

On Thursday September 12^th, UCC’s Aula Maxima was near capacity with people eager to hear from internationally renowned humanitarian, journalist, and photographer Sally Hayden.

This year, the EDI Unit was delighted to partner again with Celine Griffin and the Bystander Program in sharing a 40 minute slot in undergraduate orientations. Students were shown content from Active* Consent, We-Consent, and the Government of Ireland, and were given examples of how to be a bystander, how to practice consent in their personal lives, relevant laws, how to report an incident, and where to seek support if needed. Students were reminded that everyone has a role to play in addressing sexual violence on a individual and community level. 

The ENGAGE Reverse Mentoring in Higher Education pilot programme officially launched on the 2^nd of September with an inaugural training event held in the Dora Allman Room in UCC. The programme, which aims to foster knowledge sharing and an exchange of perspectives between junior and senior staff in higher education institutions, is off to an impressive start with 12 mentors and 12 mentees participating across four higher education institutions in Ireland.

UCC’s School of Nursing and Midwifery and School of Public Health have successfully renewed their Bronze Athena Swan Awards.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Art Exhibition 2024

To mark International Youth Day (12 August) and World Children's Day (20 November), the UCC Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit (the EDI Unit) is inviting young artists to create artwork under the theme:

We are delighted to invite you to the official Launch of the University College Cork Staff Disability and Neurodivergence Network with the President, John O'Halloran.

Campaign will celebrate trailblazing women of Munster

Empowering New Generations, Advancing Gender Equality (ENGAGE) through Reverse Mentoring in Higher Education Programme

The Safe and Sound project was launched on the 26^th June by Professor Stephen Byrne.

The EDI Unit and the Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Response Manager at UCC are delighted to announce the launch of UCC's Safe and Sound Project. 

On the 8^th of November, University College Cork hosted the national Athena SWAN Awards Ceremony. The objective of the Athena SWAN Ireland charter framework is to support higher education institutions, schools and professional Units in impactful and sustainable gender equality work and to build capacity for evidence-based equality work across the equality grounds enshrined in Irish legislation.

The UCC Values and Culture Staff Survey has been extended to 23:59 April 22nd.  Open to ALL staff (admin, technical, research, academic, B&E, permanent or fixed-term contract), this fully anonymised survey will form the basis of the EDI framework for the university for the foreseeable future and we strongly encourage all staff to take this opportunity to have their voice heard.  Click here to access the survey.

Cork University Business School (CUBS) has achieved its first Athena SWAN Bronze Award for gender equality in higher education. The award celebrates good practice towards the advancement of gender equality and representation.

Across the UCC community, International Women's Day is being marked for 2024.

We invite you to join us on Thursday 29th February between 9.30-11.30am in the Dora Allman Room for the 2024 Athena Swan President’s Symposium which this year is focusing on care and caring.

February 22 has been nominated as Open Book Day: Celebrating Refugees in Education by Schools of Sanctuary and UNHCR Ireland.  UCC was delighted to welcome representatives from both organisations ot UCC to mark this occasion.

For the second year, UCC marked International Mother Language Day as part of its annual Refugee Week.

UCC's Annual Refugee Week starts on Monday 19th February!

Places of Sanctuary Ireland and UNHCR Ireland are inviting all schools, universities and colleges across Ireland to celebrate refugees in our places of education on Thursday February 22^nd 2024. 

UCC is project lead on GEEF 2023 mentoring project, ENGAGE.

The latest in UCC's DisabiliTEA series welcomed Susan O'Callaghan, Advocacy Officer and Deaf Awareness Trainer with the Cork Deaf Assocation, to speak on the ISS-Health research “Towards Ensuring Access Provision to Public Health Services for the Irish Deaf Community.”

As part of UCC’s ongoing work in the Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment Framework, Dr Mary Crilly has been awarded an honorary doctorate.

As part of our Equality Week programme we ran the second annual EDI Soapbox Event to showcase EDI related initiatives across the university community, both staff and student.

We were delighted to host Elmer Dixon, co-founder of the Black Panthers Seattle Chapter and Diversity & Inclusivity Consultant to speak at UCC as part of Equality Week 2023.

The Glucksman hosted a unique tour of the University College Cork art collection this Equality Week. 

In recent years the Glucksman has commissioned new artworks for the university collection in partnership with community groups.  Glucksman Senior Curator, Tadhg Crowley took us on a fascinating guided tour of some of these works, giving us an insight into the background to the commission and the process they undertook for each.

The Gay Project in collaboration with UCC, hosted by the Deputy President and Registrar, UCC, Professor Stephen Byrne commemorated the 30^th Anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexual acts in Ireland with a tree planting ceremony at the Rainbow Walkway, University College Cork.

UCC is proud to launch the Race Equality Network as part of Equality Week.

On October 3rd, Inclusive UCC held an in-person showcase Inclusive Colleges Research Project.

The EDI Unit in collaboration with staff, students and external bodies, ran a number of workshops during Equality Week 2023.

There was a wonderful response to the second annual Kids' EDI Art Fest.

From the 2^nd to the 6^th of October UCC will celebrate Equality Week through a series of events highlighting the importance of inclusion, accessibility, and diversity in working towards equality.

The EDI Unit are delighted to once more be bringing Cork Pride to UCC campus.

University College Cork (UCC) has been awarded three new Athena SWAN Bronze Awards for positive gender practice in higher education. The awards celebrate the advancement of gender equality at the School of Clinical Therapies, the School of Mathematical Sciences and the School of Computer Science and Information Technology.

Join the EDI Unit and the University of Sanctuary Working Group in marking World Refugee Day 2023 by learning about EU-Passworld with Nasc, June 19th 12:30-14:00 (online event).

To mark Carers' Week 2023, we are delighted to welcome you to A Conversation about Caring (Room G12 the Hub, the Áine Hyland Room & Teams) from 12:30-14:00 on Thursday, June 15th (light lunch available from 12:30).

Rocking their funky socks, staff and students gathered from all over the university to mark the 21st March.

Parenting as a refugee, difficulties accessing education, criminalisation of humanitarian aid, and the rise of the Far Right are among the issues to be explored as part of UCC’s Refugee Week.

UCC is proud to host the Vicky Phelan Triptych Portrait.

University College Cork celebrated its 6th Equality Week between the 7^th - 11^th of November 2022. The Equality, Diversion and Inclusion Unit hosted many events with the support of the UCCSU, under the heading “Making Space for Everyone: Equality Week at UCC”.

The Soundseekers Audio Festival, in partnership with UCC98.3FM, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), EDI Unit UCC  and 40 community radio broadcasting partners, won gold earlier this year at the CRAOL Achievement Awards.

We are delighted to announce that UCC Equality Week 2022 will take place from November 7- 11. Equality Week provides an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to accelerate equality for all.

Join us for coffee and chat with ISL speakers from UCC and beyond at 10:00 on Wednesday November 9th in the Mary Ryan Seminar Room on the ground floor of the O'Rahilly Building.

Join Martina and Shane from the National Council for the Blind, Ireland, as they demonstrate assistive technology in the Lucy Smith Room, the Hub, on Monday 7th November from 14:00-15:30 as part of UCC Equality Week 2022.

Join us on November 9th for an EDI Soapbox in the Dora Allman Room, the Hub, from 12:30-14:00.  The aim of the event is to share knowledge of EDI initiatives across the university and should be a bit of fun too!

We are delighted to invite Dr Vivian Rath to UCC's Equality Week 2022 as keynote speaker on November 9, from 11:00-12:00.

On Saturday 8 October, students of Languages, Literatures and Cultures as well as Theatre came together with staff to form a multilingual flash mob at UCC's Open Day in unified protest against sexual violence and victim blaming. 

UCC has renamed its Environmental Research Institute’s Lee Road Building in honour of the pioneering botanist and Cork woman Ellen Hutchins.

The EDI Unit was delighted to work with Admissions and Bystander Intervention to bring in-person training in Active*Consent and an introduction to Bystander Intervention and the new RSVP training to all incoming undergraduate students.

Calling All Young Artists 

To mark World Children's Day on 20 November 2022, the UCC Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit is inviting young artists to create artwork under the theme Our World -  Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.  

The results from the Values and Culture/EDI Staff Consultation 2022 were presented a the President's Townhall on 8 September last.

University College Cork has achieved two new Athena SWAN Bronze Awards for gender equality in higher education.

UCC History's Dr Diarmuid Scully and Cork LGBT activist and author Orla Egan appeared in a Pride Month interview with Alan Hughes on Ireland AM (22^nd June).

In response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine, ACE rallied students and colleagues across the campus to create a six-week course, 'Introduction to Student Life in Ireland'.

On Tuesday 24th May, female ‘returners’ who participated in UCC’s Rejuvenate Programme, designed to support women planning to return to the workforce following a career break, graduated at a very special ceremony held in UCC.

Inclusive UCC ran a Symposium on the 19^th of May to spotlight the value of creating inclusive digital experiences for all. The 19^th of May was International Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). GAAD aims to get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital Inclusion and accessibility. The day celebrated the excellent work happening within UCC to support digitally inclusive teaching, learning, and assessment experiences.

In response to conflicts across the world, UCC today announces that it has created a Sanctuary Fellowship Scheme.

UCC’s School of Medicine has achieved its first Athena SWAN Bronze Award for gender equality in higher education. The award celebrates good practice towards the advancement of gender equality and representation.

The School of Microbiology has earned its first Athena SWAN award and the School of Pharmacy at UCC has successfully renewed its Athena SWAN accreditation. 

On the evening of March 21st, UCC's iconic quad was lit up in purple, the colour of Down Syndrome Ireland, to mark and support World Down Syndrome Day 2022.

Sustainable Development Goals are embedded in the Hub.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has today (Tuesday, March 15th)  announced the Higher Education Authority will carry out a review of gender equality in Higher Education.

Units across UCC join to #BreakTheBias this International Women's Day 2022.

Cork Traveller Women's Network and Cork Traveller Visibilty Group recognise UCC for creating welcoming spaces for Travellers and supporting Traveller rights and culture.

As part of the UNIC European University initiative, UCC’s Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21), in conjunction with the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Unit and Access UCC is hosting a seminar series focused on theme of superdiversity. The term superdiversity underlines the growing complexity of diversity, reflecting the increasing prominence of complex mixtures and intersectionalities of ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, culture, religion, economic status, legal status and many other aspects. Part of the aim of UNIC is to explore what superdiversity means for the higher education space as well as our wider city and communities.

Marking Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, UCC’s Civil Engineering Building is named after the first female engineering graduate of the university, Iris Ashley Cummins.

Join the interim-Registrar, Professor Stephen Byrne on February 21st at 11:00 in raising the Refugee Week flag on the Quad and check out the other events of the week here.

We are delighted to be contributing again to Douglass Week.

Dignity and respect are core to our values here at UCC and we will not tolerate bullying, discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, sexual violence or other forms of aggression.

Diverse Active*Consent is a research project that aims to adapt and further develop NUI Galway's 'Active* Consent' programme. Active* Consent is a programme designed to empower young people to have positive and confident sexual health and wellbeing. Diverse Active* Consent focuses on including the voices and experiences of LGBTI+ students and students from different cultural backgrounds to inform and advance this sexual consent training programme. The project is a multi-institutional initiative, involving collaboration between the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), NUI Galway, the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) and UCC. The research team are currently carrying out focus groups with both staff and students. The focus groups involve engaging with the Active* Consent resources, including a workshop and eLearning module. Following this, the focus group discussion aims to gather participants' feedback and ideas in order to create a programme that is more inclusive and representative of students studying in Ireland today

If staff or students would like to take part, please contact ediunit@ucc.ie and we will send on registration details.

The reports on the national survey of staff and student experiences of sexual violence and harassment in Irish HEIs were launched on 27th January by Minister Simon Harris.

The School of Chemistry and  the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences (BEES) have become the first UCC Schools to successfully renew their Athena SWAN accreditation. 

As UCC comes to end of year, the President, John O'Halloran, the Chaplaincy and the UCC Community reflect on what 2021 has meant.  

The first UCC Sanctuary Scholarship recipients to be conferred with undergraduate degrees speak about their experience.

To mark his recognition by the university, we spoke with Dr. Laurence Davis on being the 2021 recipient of the Frank McGrath Perpetual Award for Equality and Welfare.

On Dec 16 Mná@UCC hosted their third virtual Teaspoon of Value. The aim of this series is to allow Mná@UCC Women’s Network provide a networking space amongst members as well as for our members to share something from their own professional development roles (a teaspoon of value!) that may support others, and that others can learn from.

Today we were delighted to welcome Drs Marta Kempny and Lucy Michael to present on their report on Race Equality in the Higher Education Sector, commissioned by the HEA in 2021.

UCC LGBT Staff Network elected a new Committee and reflected on the past year’s activities at its AGM on 9^th December.

A series of events and programmes to promote menstrual health and the environment called “An Inclusive and Sustainable UCC. Period.” is a collaboration between UCC Green Campus, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit, Students Union and Staff Wellbeing and Development.

UCC marked International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3rd with inspiring and informative talks and events.

UCC is delighted to announce approval for a new post under the Senior Academic Leadership Initiative (SALI).

Student registration for full Bystander Intervention training (securing a University Digital Badge) 2020-21 student sign up increased by 263%. The impact of the training demonstrates a very real capacity to effect behavioural and cultural change across the camps, empowering our student body to assert and effect a safer university experience for all.

On Thursday, November 25th, Culture Day, Tyndall came together internally & celebrate our 50+ different nationalities and cultures spanning Tyndall. 

UCC celebrates the positive contribution of men to society on International Men's Day 2021

The Athena SWAN Ireland charter has recently undergone a re-development in line with the findings of a national consultation and offers a framework for progressing equality in higher education and research that is unique to Ireland.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD visited University College Cork (UCC).

Mná@UCC celebrated its 1st year anniversary on November 4th which was marked by their 1st AGM.

The UCC School of Law has earned a departmental-level Bronze Athena SWAN Award. 

UCC today celebrated its recent Athena SWAN award successes, recognising the University’s commitment to promoting good practice and advancing gender equality in higher education.

On October 1th, to mark National Coming Out Day, UCC launches the first institution-led permanent rainbow walkway.

Today all students received an invitation to take part in the second ever UCC EDI student survey.

As part of Cork Traveller Pride Week 2021, the Cork Traveller Pride flag was raised on UCC quad for the first time.

UCC University of Sanctuary Working Group are delighted ot launch the 4th annual Refugee Week in UCC. Join staff and students in UCC as, together with representatives from GOAL, NASC, the Irish refugee Council and others, we discuss issues around direct provision, activism, humanitarian work as well as exploring personal journeys and celebrating art.

For details on events and how to join, see here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/edi/universityofsanctuary/events/rw/rw2021/

#UCCRefugeeWeek

Two UCC Schools in the College of Medicine & Health have earned Athena SWAN awards. AdvanceHE announced today the conferring of the awards on the School of Nursing & Midwifery and the Dental School & Hospital. The announcement follows news earlier this year of the conferring of an award on the School of Public Health, bringing to eight the number of School-level awards in UCC.

In light of the difficulties being experienced as a result of Covid-19, it has been decided to extend the closing date for receipt of applications to the 2020 UCC Sanctuary Scholarship scheme by two weeks.

UCC’s efforts to foster gender equality have been recognised with the awarding of two significant awards.

Friday March 6th, join us in the Aula Maxima for the third annual Athena SWAN President's Symposium.

We are delighted to host a packed week of evnets, covering topics such as precarious employment in higher education, the age-friendly university, LGBT+ issues as well s many others, with events submited and organised by staff and students alike.

UCC Refugee Week 2020 is a week-long exploration of the theme 'What is Sanctuary?'  For event listings click here.

UCC’s efforts to foster gender equality have been recognised with the awarding of two significant awards.

Closing the Door: Complaint as Diversity Work (WW6, 16th May, 5 p.m.)

What does a secular university look like?  Join us on Thursday April 4th to find out!

Welcoem to the second annual President's Athena SWAN Symposium!

Welcome to another Equality Week in UCC!

Announcing UCC Refugee Week 2019 - January 21st-25th

To mark Black History Month, Profesor Kalwant Bhopal visits UCC to speak on Race, Ethnicity & Education.

Catch up on events from UCC Equality Week 2018 with our video library

As part of Equality Week, we will celebrate International Women’s Day this Thursday, March 8^th with our inaugural annual President’s Athena SWAN Alumni Symposium, in Devere Hall, 2 – 5 p.m.

Starting off by raising the Transgender Pride Flag and examining the services provided by UCC's Disability Support Service, UCC's second annual Equality Week is off to a good start.

UCC marks its commitment to transgender and non-binary staff and students.