School of Communications receives Athena Swan Bronze Renewal Award
This marks the first departmental Bronze Renewal Award conferred on a School in the DCU Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The School of Communications' submission was commended by the panel for the sustained progress demonstrated since the School of Communications’ 2021 Bronze Award. Strengthened governance structures and clear alignment with DCU’s institutional Silver Action Plan were highlighted along with comprehensive analysis across recruitment, promotion, leadership roles, student attainment and staff perceptions.
Positive examples of progress include an evident improvement in gender balance within leadership roles in the School, greater transparency in role allocation and performance review, media training to support female staff, and ongoing efforts in making course content more equitable and inclusive.
Dr Gëzim Visoka, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, welcomed the news of the award:
“On behalf of the Faculty, we are delighted that the School’s continued commitment and ongoing efforts have been recognised by the attainment of our first departmental Athena Swan Bronze Renewal Award. This achievement also reaffirms our commitment to action to improve gender equality and diversity for staff and students by the School, the Faculty, and the University as part of DCU’s new EDI Strategy 2026–2028.”
Sarah Fink, Head of Athena Swan Ireland, said:
“This Bronze Renewal Athena Swan Award highlights the fantastic commitment of the School of Communications and Dublin City University in bringing about change through impactful and sustainable gender equality initiatives in higher education across Ireland. Congratulations to all those who work so hard to achieve and sustain this recognition.”
The School’s Athena Swan application committee was chaired by Dr Tetyana Lokot and supported by DCU’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit.
Dr Declan Fahy, Head of the School of Communications, said:
“This award comes at a crucial time for the School’s development amid growing discussions about diversity and equality, as well as staff and student wellbeing, in academia. It is very encouraging to see this recognition of our collaborative work and strategic planning.”
Speaking on behalf of the application committee, its chair, Dr Tetyana Lokot, said:
“The Bronze Renewal Award is a testament to the hard work of colleagues in the School over the past five years and the invaluable contributions from the DCU EDI team. We’ve analysed the actions and outcomes of our previous plan to improve the culture of transparency, collegiality, equality, and diversity for staff and students. Work on the renewal application has prompted much useful reflection and has informed our priorities and plans that we will put into action over the next few years.”
The School of Communications received its original Bronze Award in September 2021, marking the first departmental award conferred on any DCU School or Faculty.
Dublin City University was awarded the institutional Athena Swan Silver Award in September 2024 in recognition of its commitment to advancing gender equality and creating cultural change within the University.
DCU’s Silver Award Action Plan is set to run until 2029, with key priorities including enhancing practices on inclusive leadership, achieving appropriate gender representation across all staff grades, strengthening transparency of career progression pathways, supporting work-life balance, embedding inclusivity in policies and practices, increasing the University’s ability to capture data across all equality grounds, and ensuring a continued safe and respectful working and studying environment for all members of our University community.
More about Athena Swan Ireland
The Athena Swan Ireland Charter offers a framework for progressing gender equality in higher education and research that is unique to Ireland. It is run by Advance HE, which has worked in partnership with the sector for 10 years, supported by the Higher Education Authority. Engagement with the Athena Swan Charter is a key pillar of Ireland’s national strategy for gender equality in higher education.
More about the School of Communications
DCU’s School of Communications is an internationally focused centre of excellence in teaching and research in media, communications and journalism. It is currently ranked number one in Ireland and among the top 200 globally for Communication and Media Studies.