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SFU is advancing its commitment to academic excellence through strategic, equity-focused recruitment supported by Special Programs
The Special Programs initiative is a university-wide effort authorized by the B.C. Office of the Human Rights Commissioner that allows for limited hiring under certain conditions. It aims to recruit at least 15 new tenure-track Black faculty, 15 new tenure-track Indigenous faculty, 15 Black staff and 15 Indigenous staff.
The initiative is designed to remove systemic barriers and expand access to employment for highly qualified candidates from historically and currently underrepresented groups—while maintaining SFU’s established standards for excellence in academic and administrative hiring. It is used in specific contexts where this underrepresentation has been identified.
The Special Programs initiative is rooted in two commitments SFU made in 2021: signing the Scarborough Charter and passing a Senate motion in support of Black folks at SFU (S.21-104).
“Embedding equity, diversity and Reconciliation into academic renewal and workforce planning advances the key priorities set out in the academic plan: strengthening our learning environments to help us create more inclusive communities that supports student success and well-being,” says Paola Ardiles Gamboa, Senior Advisor, Equity and Well-Being Initiatives, VP PEI.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences dean Laurel Weldon has been involved in several Special Programs hiring processes and emphasizes the link between diversity, rigour and excellence.
“This program recognizes that you can’t achieve academic excellence without drawing from the full pool of qualified candidates, so ensuring you are reaching a diverse pool of candidates advances excellence. We also know that diverse research teams produce higher quality and more impactful academic contributions. These programs operate within the rigorous hiring standards we have always had at SFU while ensuring we are taking advantage of that full range of talent as we build our faculty complement and enable the formation of these high-performance research collaborations,” says Weldon.
Supporting Special Program hiring
Jennifer Spear, associate dean in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, says units do not have to navigate Special Programs searches alone.
“There are strong supports in place, including Inclusive Excellence Canvas course, Faculty Relations’ facilitated sessions and the faculty recruitment guidelines. These resources provide valuable structure for navigating the process in a thoughtful and rigorous way.”
The Guidelines for Recruitment of Members of the Faculty Association define SFU’s standardized, equity-centred process for faculty recruitment to ensure hiring is transparent, legally compliant, academically rigorous, and aligned with institutional commitments.
The Inclusive Excellence for SFU Committees Canvas course is an online training resource that provides practical modules for committee members and chairs on topics such as bias awareness, inclusive recruitment and evaluation practices, equitable deliberation processes, and transparent decision-making.
Learn more about Special Programs hiring at SFU, on the Employee Equity webpage.