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Inclusive Excellence 23-24

Access Program Outreach Builds University Pathway for Equity-Deserving Students

This year, the Access Program community group/school outreach initiative expanded to more than 40 elementary and high schools to build a pathway for students from equity-deserving groups to attend McMaster. This led to 3,310 interactions with 3,194 unique student engagements through one-on-ones, school/community partner visits, campus visits and outreach events.

Affinity Groups Hold Space for Inclusivity and Community in Residence

The Affinity Groups program, offered through Housing & Conference Services (HCS), aims to create a safe, inclusive environment fostering a sense of belonging and community among three affinity groups: BIPOC individuals, queer folks, and those living with disabilities within the student staff and residence body. 

It provides leadership opportunities for student staff in an EDII context and utilizes Indigenous Learning Circles to promote relational learning. Returning Residence Life student staff facilitate groups in close conjunction with the Residence Life area coordinator team, which oversees programming for specific residences. 

Annual Black Graduation Ceremony

The annual Black Graduation Ceremony celebrated the resilience, dedication and hard work of Black graduating students. More than 750 guests attended, including students, faculty, staff and community partners. The event recognized the achievements of Black graduates and reinforced a sense of pride and belonging. 

Embracing Neurodiversity on Campus

The Student Wellness Centre (SWC) hosted Embracing Neurodiversity programming, including a biweekly drop-in group for neurodivergent students to connect over shared experiences.

Fostering Wellness During Pride Month

The Student Wellness Centre (SWC) hosted Pride Month programming, including food for thought cooking classes, queer movie night and dedicated social media content for 2SLGBTQIA+ resources. 

Gaodadeihwahni:ya:s Transition Program Grows in Collaboration with Indigenous Studies Department

The Indigenous Student Services (ISS) Gaodadeihwahni:ya:s Transition Program expanded to include a new three-unit course for incoming Indigenous learners, in partnership with the Indigenous Studies Department in the Faculty of Social Sciences. The course provided an opportunity for students to gain valuable academic skills, cultural experiences, traditional knowledge and wellness strategies to support their success as new university students. The initial offering of the course had participation from 16 students from first-year programs and students entering upper-year programs through transfer pathways.

Helping Employers Work with Students

The Student Success Centre (SSC) continued to build strong collaborative relationships with diverse employer partners to participate in on-campus and off-campus professional development and recruitment events. A total of 252 employers participated in Fall Career Fair and Connect to Careers Job Fair, the two largest recruitment events at McMaster.

iCent App Provides a Central Platform for International and Exchange Students

The Student Success Centre (SSC): International and Exchange Student Experience (IESE) team launched the iCent app to provide a central platform for students to discover programs and services. On iCent, students gain instant access to a wealth of information spanning across McMaster University as a whole, including resources, updates and events relevant to the entire institution. Additionally, iCent provides tailored access to Faculty-specific information. 

Inclusive Innovation Challenge Supports Student-Led Ventures

In collaboration with The John Dobson Foundation, The Forge launched the first Inclusive Innovation Challenge program to support student-led ventures fostering inclusive innovation and promoting equity, diversity and inclusion within our entrepreneurial community. In addition to a workshop that helped student entrepreneurs incorporate EDI considerations into their products and business models, two startup companies received critical funds to carry out inclusive customer market research, leading to improved prototypes that will further advance their commercialization efforts.

Indigenous Graduation Celebration

Indigenous Student Services (ISS) held its annual Indigenous Graduation Celebration to celebrate the accomplishments, community and enduring relationships of Indigenous learners at McMaster. The event took place in a larger space in L.R. Wilson for the first time, where students, faculty, staff, community members and Elders connected in the spirit of celebration and appreciation.

Outreach and Transition Support Leads to Increased Black Student Applicants

Several initiatives, reaching a total of 1,678 high school students, have successfully contributed to an increase in the number of Black high school students applying to McMaster. The Black Student Mentorship Program, delivered in partnership between the Black Student Success Centre and the African Caribbean Faculty Association of McMaster (ACFAM), expanded to 10 local high schools across three school boards, providing weekly mentorship for Black high school students.

Additionally, Black Applicant Meet-and-Greet sessions fostered connections with more than 1,000 applicants and family members. 

Sport Fitness School One-on-One Program

The Sport Fitness School One-on-One Program, offered through Athletics & Recreation, provides inclusive camp opportunities for youth. This program is dedicated to supporting campers with a wide range of needs and abilities and provided 80 inclusive camp opportunities for youth. In 2024, the department provided 3,292 young athletes and 110 student staff with an outstanding camp experience, including 61 camp scholarships for youth to attend summer camps who would not have had the opportunity otherwise.

Supporting Black Student Mental Health and Well-being

This year, more than 150 Black undergraduate and graduate students with diverse intersectional identities accessed 500 hours of individual and group wellness support. This service provides vital support to students navigating academic pressures, relationship stressors and racism, and is helping to destigmatize seeking mental health support. Two new groups were introduced including The Shop-A Wellness Group for Black Men and Rooted Tuesdays.  

“The group provided a space to talk about difficult things & learn how others approach the world. It actually showed me my perspective was somewhat limited.” — Student participant