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HALIFAX — Dalhousie University says its search for a new senior administrator will be restricted to “racially visible” and Indigenous candidates, part of its efforts to increase underrepresented groups on the Halifax campus.

In a memo to the university community, provost and vice-president academic Carolyn Watters said the prerequisite is in line with the principles of Dalhousie’s employment equity policy.

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“We have embarked on the process of selecting a new vice-provost student affairs,” she stated in the memo last month, adding that the search “will be restricted to racially visible persons and Aboriginal Peoples at this time.”

...this search for a new Vice-Provost Student Affairs will be restricted to racially visible persons and Aboriginal peoples at this time. Carolyn Watters, Dalhousie University provost

Jasmine Walsh, Dalhousie’s assistant vice-president of human resources, said Tuesday Dalhousie has been “deliberate and proactive” in its recruitment so students will be able to see themselves reflected throughout the university’s ranks.

“This is a position where we’re looking across our senior admin ranks at Dalhousie, we note that there are representation gaps for racialized and Indigenous People, and so the decision was made to try and target our recruitment efforts to find qualified candidates who will help to increase our representation in the senior ranks,” Walsh said.