Fanshawe named one of Canada’s best employers for diversity

Fanshawe College has been named in Forbes’ 2024 list of Canada’s best employers for diversity, ranked at number 96 out of 200 employers. Of the Canadian colleges on the list, Fanshawe ranks second highest.

“We are incredibly proud to be recognized on this prestigious list,” says Joseph Pazzano, director of Fanshawe’s Centre for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). “It is a testament to our deep institutional commitment to EDI.”

Fanshawe works to achieve an authentic sense of belonging for every student, staff and faculty member within the College community by fostering inclusive classroom and learning experiences for our students, while intentionally recruiting equity-deserving employees and faculty.  

“It is a true honour for Fanshawe to be recognized on Forbes’ list of Canada’s Best Employers for Diversity,” says Tania Caza, vice-president, people and culture. “This acknowledgement, based on key performance indicators assessed by a third party, highlights the significant EDI work we have undertaken in recent years, helping to attract top equity-deserving candidates and retain our talented team. Being named to this list affirms our intentional and strategic efforts to become an inclusive organization where everyone belongs.”

Fanshawe appointed Pazzano as the College’s first director of equity, diversity and inclusion to lead the College’s EDI strategy in the fall of 2021. In 2023, Fanshawe launched an EDI framework which serves as a blueprint for EDI work, setting a vision for the future and charting a course toward a sincere sense of belonging for equity-deserving students and staff.  

“At Fanshawe, we are striving to create a college where we all belong,” says Pazzano. “In many ways, we are just at the beginning of our journey to achieve that mission. The foundation we have built would not have been possible without the support of College leaders who champion equity work and campus partners who work every day to advance a sense of belonging, such as our EDI and Anti-Oppression Task Force and the Institute of Indigenous Learning. We will continue to work tirelessly to build a better future for all equity-deserving groups on our campuses.”

Canada’s Best Employers for Diversity 2024 list was created by Forbes in partnership with Statista, a market research firm. According to Forbes’ website, they surveyed “approximately 40,000 Canadian workers at companies with at least 500 employees. (The government services sector was not included.) Participants anonymously rated their companies on diversity-related issues, including age, gender, ethnicity, disability and LGBTQ+ equality. Survey respondents were also asked to evaluate companies they knew through industry experience or through family and friends who worked there. Responses from the past three years were considered.” (source: Forbes website) They also incorporated an analysis of diversity-related practices in the rankings.