Jacqueline P. Leighton recognizes the good that is contained in the ideals of ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,’ and where they can be strengthened. She’s been on the front lines of implementing her university’s policy shift from DEI to ‘Access, Community and Belonging.’ A strategic plan she praises for its commitment to difficult conversations and encounters.

She is an educational psychologist and has first-hand experience in implementing university policy through her Vice-Dean administrative role in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. She joins me to discuss what’s conducive to learning, noting that the ability to share one’s perspective and have it tested and debated in a controlled environment is crucial to psychological development and to critical thinking. The opposite creates fear and fragility, eroding human wellbeing.

The University of Alberta changed its DEI policy some years ago. A move that some say coincided with the Government of Alberta’s reform in this area. The government’s efforts were aimed at seriously scaling back forms of DEI currently practiced in universities.

She has played a role in implementing the university’s ‘Access, Community, and Belonging’ framework. Crucially, this policy framework gives pride of place to the importance of the exchange of ideas. I think that is vital, as it is foundational to the university’s mission, which is devoted to the pursuit of truth and the advancement of knowledge, first and foremost.