Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies programs in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences are taking on the question of exclusion from public institutional leadership in a panel discussion entitled “Crucial Voices: The Importance of Representation in Public Institutional Leadership,” Friday, Feb. 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the School of Creative Arts Armouries building, 37 University Ave. East, and online.

The discussion will benefit all those in Windsor-Essex and beyond, says panellist Natalie Delia Deckard: from those concerned about their ability to participate in civic and political engagement, to potential students who want to learn more about how the University of Windsor cares about their futures as leaders, to others who have an interest in understanding the role the University plays in creating a more equitable and just city, region, nation, and world.

“This panel is a call to discussion and to action towards making all of our public institutions more reflective of the diversity of that public,” says Dr. Deckard, an associate professor of criminology and director of the Black Studies Institute. “We are public educators at a public institution of higher learning — and we understand how important that mandate is. I’m so excited to sit in an open and transparent discussion on this urgent topic. We owe it to the public that we serve.”

The discussion will present UWindsor’s faculty experts to examine key questions surrounding the impact of gender, class, migration status, language, race, and other attributes of community members that can exclude them from public institutional leadership and decision-making, as well as the ramifications of these prejudices for a democracy.

The panel will be moderated by Jane Ku, associate professor of women’s and gender studies and sociology, and participants besides Deckard include Mita Williams, acting law librarian; Emmanuelle Richez, associate professor of political science; Ronjon Paul Datta, associate professor of sociology; and Cheryl Collier, professor of political science and dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science.

All members of the community are invited to attend in person or via livestream. Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP here and let organizers know whether you are joining in person or online.