Beyond its human- and community-centered mission, vision and values, FSA ULaval’s strategic plan launched three flagship projects, including Reflex FSA, the goal of which is to instill in its community members the reflex of thinking through the societal impact of our actions and decisions. In terms of its own practices, the School contracted for an internal and external DEI diagnosis of its workplace and activities. Further, it has added a new advisory committee and coordinator dedicated
to facilitating the development of a culture and practices that support DEI. FSA ULaval offers close to 90 courses related to CSR, DEI and SD, in addition to specialized majors and programs such as an MSc major in management of international cooperation and humanitarian action, an MBA major in the social and environmental responsibilities of organizations,
and a Graduate diploma in diversity, equity and inclusion.
The recently created Desjardins Experiential Learning Center promotes close collaboration between organizations, alumni and the teaching staff, ensuring that the School’s programs and research are pertinent to the needs of the broader community. Finally, FSA ULaval places a high value on research that contributes to the transformation of businesses and the evolution of society. The School fosters an environment of innovation in this mission through a dozen research chairs and centres specializing in issues pertaining to social responsibility, both locally and internationally. With the addition of new criteria in funding applications, the School intends to continue increasing the number of partnerships and publications
on these topics.
With many of its faculty members participating in EDI, SD and CSR, research, colloquia, conferences, webinars and teaching focused on FSA ULaval brings a wealth of solutions and ideas to share and to inspire others, including:
- Innovative pedagogical materials, such as the award-winning DiverCité game that has attracted 8250 people from around the world. According to its creator, Gaëlle Cachat-Rosset, the game invites players to explore DEI-related issues in the workplace and helps them develop good reflexes for managing concrete situations involving bias, stereotypes
and discrimination. - Impactful research projects, such as Valériane Champagne St-Arnaud’s Climate Action Barometer whose measures of attitudes to climate challenges are widely disseminated in the media and on various platforms, encouraging collective reflection and dialogue on these important issues. Results obtained on the nearly 150 themes covered generate a vast
picture that serves as a reference for several decision-making bodies. In particular, Québec’s Ministry of the Environment, Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks uses the barometer to assess the effectiveness of measures put in place to combat climate change. The results also inform new strategies for raising public awareness. - Business-specific tools, such as the Responsible Business Model Canvas (RBMC), developed by Matthias Pepin and Maripier Tremblay. The RBMC incorporates in-depth thinking about the imperatives of SD. It is the reference for anyone wishing to plan the creation of a business, or more generally a project, while respecting current economic, social and environmental requirements.
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