The primary, linked roles of the Associate Dean for EDI were to provide expertise and leadership in the specific project of the Athena SWAN submission and continuity of leadership in EDI issues in the implementation of the subsequent GEAP. Most importantly, the appointment of an Associate Dean for EDI emphasised the importance with which the Faculty treats its commitment to real change via the Athena SWAN process, and it was the first such Associate Deanship created by any of the faculties in Maynooth University.
The Associate Dean for EDI was the co-chair of the Faculty’s successful application for Athena SWAN Bronze Award.
The Associate Dean was the lead chair on the Athena SWAN Implementation Group, working to ensure that the Faculty maintains Athena SWAN Bronze Award and lay foundations for the Silver Award. Being Athena SWAN accredited is central to an institution being eligible for HEA funding for researchers, and is a core driver of equality and inclusion change. Thus, the role of Associate Dean for EDI was also one of advocacy.
The Associate Dean for EDI also sat on Maynooth University Gender Equality Steering Group and acted as a liaison between the Vice President of Equality & Diversity and the Faculty.
The Associate Dean for EDI was a champion for and a leader in EDI issues in the Faculty. The Associate Dean for EDI ensured that EDI and Athena SWAN were standing items at Faculty meetings, thus formalising EDI as an area as important to the Faculty as research and teaching & learning (T&L), and underscoring how EDI underwrites and drives much of our work in both research and T&L.
When the post was advertised in 2021, Professor Moynagh Sullivan (Department of English) and Dr Catherine Gander (Department of English) co-applied for the role of Faculty Associate Dean for EDI to promote a gender responsive model of collaborative leadership, and to expand the opportunities for leadership available to mother and carers. This built on their previous role-sharing of Departmental Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team member, and is a continuation of their collaborative and adaptive style of leadership. Dr Gander and Prof Sullivan have since alternated in the role and provided support and consultation for each other when not on rotation.
Dr Catherine Gander
I’m honoured to serve as Faculty Associate Dean for EDI and to work alongside my colleague Professor Moynagh Sullivan to work toward positive and meaningful change for every member of our Faculty. The trajectory of my academic career has been shaped by my commitment to social justice and to addressing the systemic and structural barriers to equality and inclusion in academia and beyond. EDI-related issues and subjects also guide my research and teaching.
I remain dedicated to helping create an inclusive environment in which staff and students can feel valued, safe, and respected.
As Associate Dean for EDI, I served as co-chair of the Faculty’s Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team, which successfully submitted for a Bronze Award in 2022. I also serve on the University’s Gender Equality Steering Group, and am a member of the MU Parents and Carers Network.
Professor Moynagh Sullivan
I am a Professor in the Department of English with specialties in Gender, Intersectionality, Motherhood, and Irish Studies, and delighted to share the role of Faculty Associate Dean for EDI with my colleague, Dr Catherine Gander; we submitted a pioneering co-application for the position of Associate Dean to create possibilities and models for a gender-responsive and flexible method of collaborative leadership.
Equality, inclusion, and diversity has been a core value of my work in research, teaching, and service. My work has focused on diversifying culture by examining cultural gender gaps, ableism, and by mapping the overlooked and unseen maternal imaginaries.
As Associate Dean for EDI, I served as co-chair of the Faculty’s Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team, which successfully submitted for a Bronze Award in 2022, and as lead chair on the GEAP Implementation Group. I also serve on the University’s Gender Equality Steering Group, and am a founding member of the MU Neurodiversity Forum.
