HEC Montréal
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

HEC Montréal adopted its EDI formal policy in 2020. According to its new policy, EDI activities and strategy are now coordinated by an EDI office under the Secretary General. The EDI office has 3 full time employees and is supported by an EDI committee composed of school directors. To guide its decisions and further develop its program, the EDI office has also created a work committee, composed of some of the school professionals who are involved in the EDI strategies and representative from the student community. Also, the EDI office has worked with students from different associations and identities to create of a well-being and EDI student committee, which works as a space for dialogue and collaboration between the EDI office and the student committee.

Student organizations and associations play an important role in organizing activities and training sessions related to inclusion and cultural competencies. Also, they have worked with the EDI office and staff from different departments to organize and promote different events such as a panel during Black History Month. Furthermore, the EDI Office organizes training sessions with students’ organization to reach to both students and staff. Due to the COVID-19 situation, in person activities have been suspended. Nevertheless, this allowed the EDI to develop an online training program, called Équité, diversité, inclusion: comprendre pour mieux agir (EDI – Understanding and acting), that will be offered to all staff, faculty and students in the 2021 winter trimester.
The EDI office also collaborates extensively with SAE (Student Services Office), which oversees all activities related to student life, international student integration, and cultural training and preparedness. The SAE customizes its different services and programs to different realities within its student community (recent immigrants, students living with disabilities, etc.). Among others, SAE prepares newcomers to the Montréal’s lifestyle, cultural and language specificities, and provides ressources to cope with the harsh winter, including activities facilitated by more experienced students. It is important to highlight that newcomers represent 33% of HEC Montréal students and come from more than 140 countries across all continents. The concept of minority, diversity and inclusion is thus unique considering this extremely diversified student body. In this context, the SAE offers a wide array of integration and cultural awareness activities. The SAE also organize and promote “intercultural activities” and provides students, local and newcomers, with a complete online library of documents about cultural differences and acceptance. The main message conveyed by SAE is that each member of our community has a part to play in making HEC Montréal an open and respectful campus.
Québec education system being different from the rest of the world, most foreign students have to follow a special preparation year (année préparatoire) to ensure that their academic level is the same than the level of local students. During this preparation year, special introduction activities will be followed by the student to prepare them to the Montréal life and to ensure they feel welcomed and respected in their differences, so that they participate fully in the School’s activities and their community. This year of transition creates the conditions for building an inclusive campus, where a student body with a rich diversity of linguistic and cultural identities can have the same conditions to reach their full potential.