23 April 2021

In March, the University informed its staff about the decision to take part in the Cultural Diversity Barometer. This is one of the possible instruments that can support the University in developing its Diversity and Inclusion policy. Following this decision, the University Council presented the Executive Board with a number of important questions. In view of the reaction from the UR and concerns that are felt within our University on this subject, the Executive Board has decided to suspend the preparations for the barometer. The Board believes that broad support for D&I policy is crucial and has observed that this support is currently lacking. 
 
We are going to take a pause – which also means that we will not share any data on our staff with the CBS – to make time for a dialogue on this issue across the whole organisation and with the University Council. The Board is keen to discuss how best to shape D&I policy within our University. 

Diversity and inclusion is a key concern for both the University Council and the Executive Board. It an issue on which we can take important steps together. The Board therefore intends to set up a broad expert group with the Diversity Officer as one of the members. Together with this group, the Board will look at how we can develop our policies further and how we can gather and apply relevant data to support our D&I policy. 

The Executive Board is keen to enter into a broader dialogue on this topic. We will keep you informed of how you can take part in this dialogue. If you have any questions following this notice, please get in touch via diversiteit@bb.leidenuniv.nl.