About Decolonising DMU

 

The Decolonising DMU project was initiated in November 2019 as the next step in the institution’s engagement with building the anti-racist university. The project evolved from DMU’s Freedom to Achieve intervention, which was part of a collaborative, two-year, Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and then Office for Students’ (OfS) Catalyst project, led by Kingston University. 

Phase One of the project (2019-2021) focused upon 5 work streams: 

1. Institution 
2. Library and Learning Services 
3. Staff 
4. Students 
5. Research and Evaluation 

Further information about the initial phase of the project can be found in our Interim Report. 

Through the project’s work, and in response to sector-wide reports, the project is now moving towards a focus upon four commitments, which help to serve staff and students at DMU more appropriately, and narrow the differential awarding gap. 

1. Equity in Education and Research – decolonising teaching, learning and research practices.  

2. Progression, talent and representation – enhancing recruitment and professional development to support meaningful career progression.  

3. Raising Awareness, Changing Cultures and Behaviours - creating an environment where conversations about race and racism are supported and progressed.  

4. Governance and Accountability – reviewing our existing structures and processes through an anti-racist lens.  

A significant element of phase two is the convergence of decolonising work and work towards Race Equality Charter submissions. Through our continued partnership with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, REC work will now be conducted under the banner of Decolonising DMU. This also enables the project to learn from the findings of the REC review and for the REC action plan to be embedded within our decolonising work as we move forward.