UM announces its first Vice-Provost (Equity), Tina Chen
The University of Manitoba is pleased to announce that Dr. Tina Chen has been appointed to the newly created role of Vice-Provost (Equity), from September 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027.
An internationally recognized scholar, Dr. Chen’s research and teaching focuses on feminism, anti-colonial solidarities, anti-racist activism, and alternative political imaginaries in modern Chinese, Asian and World history. She served as the Department Head of History from 2013-2020 and has been involved in collegial governance as a long time representative on Senate Executive (2014-2023) and Senate (2011-2023). Dr. Chen is a committed activist and advocate for equity, anti-oppression, and social justice at the University of Manitoba, with local and national community organizations, and within sport organizations. Her work has been recognized through various awards, including WXN Top 100 Women (2021), University of Manitoba Dr. and Mrs. Ralph Campbell Outreach Award (2020), and Canada Race Relations Community Champion Award (2018).
In January 2022, the celebrated historian and social justice activist became the inaugural Executive Lead (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) at UM. In that capacity, Dr. Chen has provided leadership to initiatives that advance equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). During her term, she has provided support to unit-level EDIA committees and established the EDI-Action Network and the EDI-CAT (Centralized Approval Team) to build on-going opportunities for institution-wide networking, dialogue and information sharing on EDI efforts. She has been actively involved in education and training for students, staff and faculty, delivering a variety of workshops on taking action for equity, anti-racism, diversity and inclusion.
“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Tina Chen to the Provost’s Office team. I look forward to continuing our work together to build an inclusive, accessible and supportive UM community,” says Diane Hiebert-Murphy, Provost and Vice-President (Academic).
The change in title to Vice-Provost (Equity) further signifies UM’s commitment to ensuring that EDI principles are integrated into all aspects of the institution including academic programs, research, administration, and community life. Several major initiatives are planned for 2023-24, such as a proposed EDIA Microcertificate offered through the Division of Extended Education, and a “Fellows in Equity, Anti-Oppression, and Social Justice” program which aims to build capacity at UM for advancing EDI through mentorship and training of student leaders in the fields of equity, anti-oppression and social justice. Dr. Chen is also part of a team of UM researchers who recently received the inaugural Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity (2023) for the project “Dismantling Ableism and Advancing Equity for Disabled Persons: Institutional Action and Accountability.”