What we do

There are four core areas that require specific policy interventions, trainings or awareness raising.

1. ATTRACTING & RETAINING talent
2. FOSTERING cultural change
3. STRENGTHENING diversity competencies
4. MAKING family- and life-phase friendly HR and Education policies – UM Cares

These four core areas structure the efforts of UM's DEI+ Policy in the upcoming years. This division offers the possibility to focus on different aspects of our organisation, including recruitment, academic affairs, teaching development, facility management, student services, employer branding, and HR policies. 

Attracting and Retaining Talent

This pillar deals with attracting a more diverse group of administrative and academic staff as well as students. We aim to broaden our conceptualisation of talent in recruitment and retention, and provide an environment where students and staff can mature in our organisation. 

Goals:

• Install an inclusive recruitment process that attracts diverse talent
• Rethink career development efforts for all groups
• Live up to raised expectations to retain talents

Actions:

Develop an inclusive recruitment script that review every part of the recruitment cycle. Get your vacancy texts checked by sending it to: checkmyvacancy@maastrichtuniversity.nl 
Recognition and Reward of diverse talents to grow in organization
Showcasing UM’s DEI+ efforts and results in student/staff recruitment
Present UM Disability policy
Pay attention to vulnerable student groups (e.g. First Generation Students) 

Fostering Cultural Change

Fostering cultural change is essential as it is the only way to sustainably become inclusive. This includes activities that encourage, develop and raise awareness for our diversity and inclusivity values.

Goals:

• Support and recognize bottom-up initiatives from students and staff
• Understand hurdles and opportunities in creating an inclusive culture
• Broadly integrate DEI+ perspective in UM education
• Bring people together to discuss DEI+ matters
• Exchange knowledge and experiences on regional, national and international level

Actions:

DEI+ Grants
Support for DEI+ student/staff organizations
Regular student and employee DEI+ monitoring
Diversify curricula
Include DEI+ in Intended Learning Outcomes of BA and MA programmes
Diversity Day, FEM symposia and more events
External contacts and audits

Strengthening Diversity Competencies

All staff has to be diversity sensitive to successfully create an inclusive UM environment. The importance of inclusion needs to be recognised and institutionalised in our existing quality cycles (student evaluations, UTQ portfolio, yearly talks). Both staff and students need the skills to succesfully navigate in UM's diverse academic environment. 

Goals:

• Strengthen DEI+ competencies within UM community
• Include DEI+ competences in existing structures and quality cycles

Actions:

Offer relevant DEI+ trainings for students, teachers, managers
Include DEI+ into University Teaching Qualification, Continued Professional Development
Consider DEI+ competencies in yearly talks of teachers and managers
Evaluate tutors and students on DEI+ competencies in the classroom

Making Family- and Life-Phase Friendly HR and Education Policies

UM can offer more equity in career development, attract a more diverse pool of talent, and increase employee satisfaction and career sustainability by recognising and facilitating the care responsibilities of UM community members. By appreciating different ways of life, different needs at different moments in life and by creating the conditions for diverging career models, UM assures the possibilities of education or career alongside private responsibilities.

Goals:

• Support members of the UM community to combine their work/study with caring responsibilities
• Position UM as a family-friendly and caring university

Actions:

Identify gaps in the current provisions for students and staff with caring responsibilities and work to close these (based on best practices from within UM but also other universities)
Collect and communicate information about care topics
Ensure adequate facilities at UM (e.g. lactation- and resting rooms)
Establish a peer support network for students and staff
Ensure good handling of care topics by managers
Investigate options for childcare
Develop proposals for services/provisions e.g. dual careers programme