Climate & Culture Update

Dear Faculty of Music community, 

As a part of the ongoing response to the Climate & Culture review, we want to establish consistent and transparent communication to update you about the actions being taken in response to the review.  This communication is to update you on activities of the past weeks and into the year. 

Professor Eliot Britton has assumed the role of Special Advisor, Climate, Culture, and Equity.  Professor Britton is already well known in the community and will lend his expertise to the response to the Climate & Culture report as well as generally advising on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion. 

Dr. Jon Clemens has also joined the Faculty as the Project Manager of the Climate & Culture review. Jon will help guide the Faculty of Music toward the themes and recommendations presented in the Climate & Culture report and will assist with initiatives relating to equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility. He has been meeting and will continue to meet with student groups and members of the community regarding feedback and next steps on behalf of the Dean’s Office.  Jon will be following up on the surveys and the feedback from community events; you may also direct any feedback you have to him at ccreview.music@utoronto.ca.  

There are several other initiatives underway at present.  In terms of the physical space, windows are now being installed in the practice rooms and more new furniture will be delivered as a part of the initiative to refresh the spaces at the Faculty of Music.  Part of this initiative is the new artwork coming to the Edward Johnson Building and 90 Wellesley to better reflect the diversity of our community and our commitment to inclusivity.  We are delighted to be welcoming Terri Lyne Carrington as the John and Claudine Bailey Distinguished Visitor in Jazz in March 2023. As part of her residency, she will discuss her work as Founder and Artistic Director of the Berklee Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice and as the Zildjian Chair in Performance at the Berklee College of Music. 

We are continuing to gather feedback from stakeholders in the community in addition to the feedback from the questionnaire and town hall meetings.  This feedback will be crucial in developing and sharing an action plan for the coming year with the community. We are currently conducting a search for an EDI Director and will have updates on that process soon.

We thank you for your participation in community-building. 

Best,