Sianne Alves

Sianne Alves is the Director of the Office for Inclusivity & Change at the University of Cape Town. She holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Studies from the University of Free State and a Masters in Social Policy and Management from the University of Cape Town. Sianne is currently a Section 11 Advisor to the South African Human Rights Commission and is the National Chair for Transformation: Universities South Africa. Since 2011, Sianne has led curriculum integration strategies to infuse social justice content in discipline specific ways – these courses continue today in the Faculty of Commerce, the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment and the Faculty of Health Sciences at UCT. She has served as co-editor for the International Journal in Critical Diversity and was a senior reviewer for the International Academic Forum: European Conference. Currently, her research area focuses on the conceptualisation of governance and management systems that aim to improve the higher education experiences for marginalised and oppressed communities. With this broad range of knowledge, Sianne was elected to the Ministerial Commission for Gender Based Violence which produced the National Standards for Higher Education. Similarly, UCT’s landmark inclusivity policy for Sexual Diversity, was an outcome of the Global Fund grant that was introduced through Sianne’s efforts as part of a research programme that sought to provide psychosocial education and relevant, inclusive healthcare services for a key population on campus. As the Director of the Office for Inclusivity & Change (OIC), she focuses on evidence-led praxis to provide transformation, diversity and inclusion strategies that are relevant for both the youth and adult community within the university. Focal areas led within the OIC consist of anti-racism strategies, gender equity, parity and education (including GBV) and inclusion strategies. The OIC provides disability inclusion solutions, survivor support, restorative justice programmes, capacity building and culture change approaches that seek to reduce oppression and inequality.