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Faculty in Focus: Bridging the Diversity Divide

Dr. Francine Edwards

Delaware State University

Mass Communications Department

Abstract

The diversity landscape may look different depending on the academic area but the

underpinning remains the same; there is a need for diversity at all levels within academic

institutions because the world is growing more culturally and racially different. Diversity

has to be more than a bi-line in the universitys mission statement. Increasing the number

of tenure-track minorities and women benefits the college as a whole. Additionally;

faculty from different backgrounds bring different teaching and research perspectives to

the university environment. To this end, faculty members can serve as agents of changes

in terms of encouraging diversity on campuses across the United States. This paper

highlights current research on faculty diversity, underrepresented minorities (URM),

diversity initiatives that work, and provides insight into how faculty members can indeed

become agents of change.

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Introduction

Faculty positions are extremely competitive. Colleges and universities often

place value on professors with a strong grant acquisition history and the ability to publish

in high impact journals. While there are highly qualified candidates that can fill the

minority and gender gap, tangibles on a resume often outweigh the merit of a candidates

personal experience, culture, and background as contributing factors to students success

and university diversity. As the diversity of students continues to increase, the racial and

ethnic diversity of faculty members continues to lag. According to a report from the

National Center for Education Statistics (nd) white candidates are favored over Black,

Asian and Hispanic faculty. If we dissect these statistics further; nearly thirty percent of

undergraduates are categorized as minorities while just over ten percent of full-time

faculty are minorities. The numbers for women are also worthy of attention as over half

of all undergraduate students are women and one-third of full time professors are female.

The diversity landscape may look different depending on the academic area but the

underpinning remains the same; there is a need for diversity at all levels within academic

institutions because the world is growing more culturally and racially different.

Classrooms have to reflect the variety of our world. This becomes an imperative as

faculty are responsible for helping students open their eyes to diversity and understanding

the world. The climb for minorities in academia is going in the right direction but not

quickly enough. To this end, faculty members can serve as agents of changes in terms of

encouraging diversity on campuses across the United States.

Diversity has to be more than a bi-line in the universitys mission statement. The

university must be able to provide concrete examples of diversity and be prepared to

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clarify institutional goals around diversity. In addition to this, university search

committees must be willing to debunk myths about diversity recruitment, including

myths about the search process in general, institutional competition, qualified candidates,

and faculty availability to engage in the recruitment process. Increasing the number of

tenure-track minorities and women benefits the college as a whole and faculty from

different backgrounds bring different teaching and research perspectives to the university

environment. More importantly, students thrive as a result of diversity among peers and

faculty. Unfortunately, with the growing body of research and data on faculty diversity

and the impact of diversity on the campus community as a whole, it remains difficult to

recruit a diverse faculty.

Current Research on Faculty Diversity

Most of the research related to diversity on college campuses focuses on the

diversity of the student population. Until recently, the body of literature has included

relatively small amounts of research on the connection between diverse faculty and

students. Over the last decade, the impact of employing a racially and ethnically diverse

faculty and ways for achieving that diversity have received greater attention in the

literature. In 2003 the Supreme Court affirmed the importance of racial and ethnic

diversity in higher education with a ruling in Grutter v. Bollinger. In this decision, the

Supreme Court stated that universities (specifically law schools) had a responsibility to

cultivate a set of leaders that in the eyes of citizens were qualified individuals of every

race and ethnicity. As a result of the Grutter decision, the conceptualization of diversity

required educators to investigate whether universities were fulfilling their objective to

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achieve faculty diversity. If one were to consider the educational attainment of Black and

Hispanic students at the PhD level one may say that there is a correlation between the

slow growth in faculty diversity and the low number of terminal degrees conferred to

Black and Hispanic candidates. Weinberg (2008) cites the 2000 National Opinion

Research Council and Census Data report [Table 2-original research document], both

citing the disparities in representation of Black and Hispanic candidates compared to

White recipients of terminal degrees. While the majority of universities included in the

study showed relatively no change in the growth of minority faculty, in 2006 there was a

positive trend with respect to degrees awarded to Blacks as the pattern of growth in the

percentage of Black tenured and tenure-track faculty increased (Weinberg, 2008).

A large part of the conversation about diversity in the academy centers on the fact

that there are relatively few students of color earning doctorate degrees. If you accept the

pool or limited pipeline theory, as do most college administrators then you buy into the

notion that minority faculty are not available. While the concern for the minority

pipeline of faculty is legitimate, there are experts in the field that believe the pipeline

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rationale can be deceptive (Smith, 2004). Olivas posits that if we look at higher

education as the consumer then we can say that in this case the consumer also becomes

the producer of the product, Olivas goes on to argue that even if graduation rates are

considered low, the number of graduates over time produces a pool more than capable of

altering low numbers of minority candidates (Olivas, 1994).

Smith (2000) also posits that the prevailing ideas about diversifying faculty

involve myths that hinder the search process. Consequently, in order to begin recruiting

from a diverse pool of candidates, the myths have to be addressed. Smith not only

addressed the pipeline theory but several other myths that emerged from the 2000 study:

Myth: The scarcity of faculty of color in the sciences means that those who are

available are in high demand.

Reality: Most of the scientists in the study sample were pursuing postdoctoral studies

and only 16% held faculty positions. None of the participants in the study

had been sought by colleges and universities.

Myth: Faculty of color are leaving academe altogether for more lucrative positions

in government and industry.

Reality: Most of the participants in the sample discussed the need to establish a

career before age 40; they didnt want to continue in multiple postdocs. Others were turned off by inhumane search processes that left the feeling

unappreciated. Lastly, for some the decision to leave reflected the problems

in academia.

Myth: Wealthy and prestigious institutions draw established faculty of color away

from non-elite institutions with fewer resources.

Reality: Outside offers do lure some faculty away from institutions but most of the

participants indicated an unwillingness to move frequently based on

monetary incentives.

Myth: Most scholars with an elite education only consider prestigious institutions

in their job search.

Reality: Most participants in the study based their choices on the environment in

which they wished to live, a desire to teach a diverse student body and an

interest in institutions with missions related to their professional goals.

To dispel the myths about barriers to recruiting minority faculty, educational

leaders must also understand the motivating factors that will attract such individuals to

higher education. Understanding the professional and personal influences that draw

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individuals to academia and a career in higher education in general has to be considered

in order to increase the population of minority faculty. Sharing the common believe that

diversity is important is not enough and efforts must be made to insure that the growth of

a diverse faculty is in congruent with the growth of a diverse student body.

Addressing the Underrepresentation

There is an urgent need to address institutional structural diversity and to continue

to study underrepresented minorities (URM). Historically URM faculty are from the

African American/Black, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and Native

American/American Indian communitiesand are underrepresented in the academy

relative to their proportion in the general U.S. population (Consortium on Race, Gender

and Ethnicity, nd). The underrepresentation of these populations in academia comes at a

time when the nation is experiencing a demographic shift that will make it more pressing

to have minority representation. A 2011 study completed by the Association of

Collegiate Schools of Planning revealed that there were three racial groups severely

underrepresented among faculty; African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans.

Compared to conditions two decades ago the data from this study suggested some

advancement however these groups remained underrepresented when compared with the

general population (Hibbard, Irazabal, Manning Thomas, Umemoto & Wubneh , 2011).

Universities should focus on recruiting and retaining URM faculty because of the

intellectual and pedagogical diversity they bring to the academy. Further, this diversity is

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important as this is directly related to the recruitment and retention of students and the

potential to encourage the pursuit of graduate degrees.

Studies in other fields also reveal similar disparities however, in academic

medicine increasing minority faculty numbers is further complicated by issues of

harassment, bias, lack of mentorship, and discrimination by their colleagues in academic

settings. Ethnic disparities in promotion in academic medicine have also been

documented nationwide (Price, et al, 2009).

The humanities have also been impacted by minority representation issues. In

2004, the percentage of minority faculty in the humanities was lower than it was in most

other fields and in the postsecondary faculty population as a whole. The only field with a

substantially smaller share of minority faculty than the humanities was fine arts

(Humanities Indicators, 2015).

The list and discussion about the fields of study impacted by URM faculty, or the

lack there of will continue to be an issue, thus, it should become intrinsic to the mission

of universities to put together a diverse faculty which can have a direct impact on overall

performance. Universities and students benefit from the contribution of all members and

if U.S. colleges and universities are going to be leaders in industries, including but not

limited to energy, the environment, economics, medicine and health care, and global

politics; as well as maintain relevancy as institutions of higher education, administrations

must commit to taking a hard look at the issue of URM faculty and look at the inclusion

of URM faculty as a means of generating meaningful change (Brown, Harris, Liskov,

Nordford, Ortiz, Sive & Thompson, 2010).

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Case Studies and Best Practices: Diversity Initiatives that Work

According to Smith (2004) there may be value in certain interventions that

account for the hiring of diverse faculty. Specifically, as it relates to underrepresented

groups more hiring occurs when one of three designated conditions are met. Table 3

[from the original research] indicates the percentage of positions filled when designations

of these conditions are met:

1. The job description used to recruit faculty members explicitly engages diversity at the department or subfield level:

2. An institutional special hire strategy, such as waiver of a search, target of opportunity hire, or spousal hire, is used;

3. The search is conducted by an ethnically/racially diverse search committee.

An explanation of table 3 is provided here. For the positions where the department

indicated diversity, 82% of those hired were underrepresented faculty. Whites filled the

remaining 18% of positions meeting this description. Only 13% of the positions where a

subfield indicated diversity went to underrepresented faculty. Of the remaining 87% hired

for positions meeting this description, 62% were White and 25% were Asian American.

Special hiring represented an important intervention in securing underrepresented faculty,

as it was utilized in 30% of the cases. A meager 5% of regular hires, that is to say hires

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for positions without a diversity indicator and without the use of a special hire, resulted in

the hiring of an underrepresented faculty member.

Other scholars suggest that way to ensure faculty diversity is to engage in

effective monitoring and measuring of diversity at the campus and national levels.

Moreno (2006) proposed a new analytic approach for monitoring and measuring faculty

diversity. Their approach defined the academic department as the unit of analysis and

evaluated faculty diversity in more granular fashion. The approach had the potential, by

uncovering the way in which racial diversity is practiced in higher education, to enable

institutions to reach a certain standard of diversity.

Without devaluing research and data analysis, examining universities that have

been successful in terms launching effective diversity and inclusion plans may be a more

useful tool in creating a campus community that reflects the verbiage in many strategic

plans and mission statements.

Brooklyn College

In 2008, Brooklyn College implemented a five-year plan with four goals

delineated to achieve diversity by implementing the cultural, environmental, and

structural changes that would increase faculty diversity, create an inclusive environment,

and incorporate the principles of diversity and inclusion into the classroom and

curriculum (Brooklyn College, 2008).

University of Florida

The University of Florida utilizes a Faculty Recruitment Toolkit. The Toolkit

provides guidance for good searches in support of the priorities of the university and its

mission and is compiled, excerpted or adapted from external sources including the

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University of Wisconsin-Madison Search Handbook, the University of Washington-

Seattle Presidential Summit Faculty Recruitment Toolkit, and the University of Michigan

Faculty Recruitment Handbook. Chapter Three of the handbook addresses the need to

create a broadly diverse pool of qualified candidates. According to the handbook, the

pool of minorities, women or members of other underserved groups in a specific

discipline may be meager or even nonexistent. The University also uses targeted

advertising to address the pipeline problem and deploys formal and structured mentoring

programs for new hires. Additionally, the University of Florida encourages direct contact

with academic departments, professional organizations and colleagues to expand

searches. The Toolkit also gives attention to retaining faculty, including minority and

women stating that minorities need to be informed of the issues they will confront at the

university and in the development of their professional life (University of Florida, 2013).

The University of Ohio

The University of Ohios five year plan included the creation of a special center

and programs including the creation of a Multicultural Center and for the continuation of

The Womans Place, a unit within the Office of Academic Affairs. Additionally, from

2001 to 2006 the University saw an increase in appointments of women and minority

administrators, including several deans, the provost and the first woman president of

Ohio State. Achievements of the diversity plan included recruitment of women and

minority faculty at senior levels. The objectives were to increase the number of women

and minority faculty in five years by the following:

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Female 25% N=197

African-American 30% N=28

Asian-American 10% N=21

Hispanic American 30% N=13

Native-American 100% N=3

At the beginning of the 2006-07 academic year, the figures for these groups were as

follows:

Female up 22.6%; increase of N=196

African-American up 25.7%; increase of N=27

Asian-American up 57.9%; increase of N=140

Hispanic American up 70.6%; increase of N=36

Native-American down 25%; decrease of N=1

Although the recruitment goals in all categories were not met during that period some

exceed the goals or were very close to projections. Ohio State University also included

the establishment of incentives and rewards for individuals who made progress toward

achieving diversity goals (Ohio State, 2015).

How Faculty Members Can Become Agents of Change

Faculty can become agents of change in a number of ways. First and foremost,

faculty need to be informed by understanding the growing body of research on racial and

ethnic diversity in the academy. Supporting and implementing best practices in hiring

that have been demonstrated by peer institutions is also another ways that faculty can

begin the commitment to changing the face of universities. The area that may require the

most redress and commitment is that of the search committees. Often times job

descriptions mirror the current faculty which becomes problematic because when

departments are absent of colleagues of color so too is the thought that there is the need

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to diversity or consider inclusion that matches the student population. The search

committee should take steps before, during and after the search process to ensure that a

representative pool of applications are invited to participate in the interview process.

The composition of the search committee also has to be considered. For example,

search committee members must be comprised of faculty from various departments, with

a range of perspectives used to judge candidates and their fit within the university.

Committee members must be willing to step outside of their comfort zone and recruit

people that do not look or think like them and should work to broaden the pool of

applications.

In May 2015, Duke University made the commitment to address the issue of

faculty diversity and inclusion after the completion of a 14 month study. As a result, the

recommendation to create an office to oversee faculty diversity and harassment issues

was presented to the university. What is noteworthy about this recommendation is that

there has been an acknowledgment that this must be a partnership between faculty and

administration to focus on searching for and retaining a diverse group of faculty

members. The proposed plan also includes the creation of diversity goals for departments

with the understanding that departments which are unable to meet these goals risk losing

a faculty hiring line. In the 53 page report to the Academic Council at Duke, Jokerst and

Jones (2015) posit that in an inclusive community, members of underrepresented groups

are treated as essential members whose presence will transform and reshape the

Universitys core identity in positive ways and present eight recommendations that all

universities can use to create a more inclusive and diverse academic environment.

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Those recommendations are as follows:

Recommendation One Vision and Leadership

o Responsibility for advancing diversity and inclusion lies with all members of the university community: Trustees, President, Provost,

Chancellor, Deans, Chairs, and faculty play a critical leadership role.

University leaders must not only articulate a vision for diversity and

inclusion, they must be vocal, engaged, and consistent advocates for it.

Recommendation Two - Structural and Functional Changes

o Improvements in vertical and horizontal communication between and among schools/departments and various administrative entities and do

necessary restructuring that will establish clear and transparent

accountability mechanisms for faculty and administrators

Recommendation Three School/Department/Division Diversity Plans

o Each School, Department, or Division develop its own Diversity Plan. These plans should be produced through a collaborative partnership

between the Department/Division Chairs and Deans, their

corresponding Faculty Diversity Standing Committee (if one exists)

and in accordance with accrediting bodies and university guidelines

for diversity

Recommendation Four - General Training in Diversity and Inclusion

o The creation and oversight of appropriate training modules to be used. While all faculty would likely benefit from appropriate training, there

would be a concerted effort to make sure search committee members

and leaders of these teams are trained extensively.

Recommendation Five - Hiring Programs

o Create or reassess any special programs in place already designed to target special pools of candidates.

Recommendation Six Faculty Searches

o Utilize proven Faculty Search Toolkits or work internally to create a kit of best practices in faculty searches specifically for your university.

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Recommendation Seven Retention

o Focus on (1) mentoring; (2) community building with affinity groups; (3) data collection and analysis; and (4) issues related to non-tenure

track regular rank faculty.

Recommendation Eight Data and Transparency

o Collect, analyze, and share data to identify patterns of strong

recruitment of URM, retention and other demographics.

While many universities probably already address some or all of these

recommendations, the challenge becomes securing a long-term commitment to revisiting

and implementing best practices as related to faculty diversity. The university

community is strengthened when hiring, promoting, and retaining faculty that mirror the

student population is done in tandem with the recruitment of a diverse student population.

Further, the concept of diversity must be understood from a point of view that reaches

beyond women and black faculty to include ethnicity, race, gender, and sexual

orientation; all of which enrich the academic environment by allow for the incorporation

of various viewpoints and experiences at all institutional levels.

Conclusion

The Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity (nd) has been a longtime

proponent of strengthening the campus climate to make it more inclusive for URM

faculty. Further, creating a departmental culture that is responsive to the diverse cultures

of URMs is key. This requires some attention to how universities currently do business

and attention to more inclusive ways to function. The changes institutions make to

address the isolation and alienation of any marginalized populations mean a more

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accountable, more equitable, more ethical, and more dynamic institution, and

communicates to students the value of various life experiences. Providing a systematic

approach to addressing the issue of underrepresented faulty has to be coordinated at both

the departmental and administrative levels on campuses.

Brown University recently announced plans to double the percentage of

underrepresented minority faculty by 2025. Is this a lofty goal or a tangible task in which

the university can not only increase the numbers but lay the foundation for a program that

can be duplicated at universities across the United States? Other universities have set

forth bold initiatives (Duke and the University of Pennsylvania as mentioned in Inside

Higher Education) but what becomes the barometer for success is designing a course of

action that focuses on the layers (mentoring, research, increasing the pool of scholars,

dispelling recruitment and retention myths, etc.) that have contributed to the deficiencies.

Universities have found it challenging to coordinate the efforts to recruit a diverse pool of

faculty at the departmental and administrative levels.

According to Price, et al (2009), more studies in this area are needed to facilitate

nationwide comparisons of the diversity climate across various academic institutions and

to determine whether standard policies and procedures will enhance recruitment,

promotion, retention, and professional development of ethnically diverse faculty.

Research of this nature should spark a more informed dialogue about the still low

numbers of URM and the disproportionate difference in overall hiring of new faculty at

universities nationwide. Trends, including a growing population of faculty eligible for

retirement and the growth of student enrollment make the case for addressing the needs

of URM faculty. Salient changes must be made and progress should be documented in

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order for there to be a shift in the landscape. The goal should be to create pathways to

share successful programs and identify gaps in current programs so that the statistical

data coming out of future research shows significant growth. If colleges and universities

do not make the investment in URM faculty this could further contribute to the

perception that universities do not understand the connection between creating culture of

inclusion and they risk missing out on a generation of qualified, worldly, academicians

that can add to the strength of the university.

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Works Cited

Brooklyn College (2008). Brooklyn College diversity and inclusion plan.

http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/abo_initiatives/080101_Plans_DiversityPlan.

pdf

Brown, E.N., Harris, W.L., Liskov, B.H, Nordford, L.K.; Ortiz, C., Sive, H.L. &

Thompson, M.A. (2010). Report on the initiative for faculty race and diversity.

http://web.mit.edu/provost/raceinitiative/report.pdf

Hibbard, M.., Irazabal, C., Manning Thomas, J., Umemoto, K., & Wubneh, M., (2011).

Recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty of color in acsp member

programs: Status and recommendations. Association of Collegiate Schools of

Planning.

http://www.acsp.org/sites/default/files/ACSP%20Diversity%20Task%20Force%2

0Report%20final.pdf

Humanities Indicators. (2015). Racial/ethnic composition of humanities faculty.

American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

http://www.humanitiesindicators.org/content/indicatordoc.aspx?i=315

Moreno, J. F., Smith, D. G., Clayton-Pedersen, S. P., Parker, S., & Teraguchi, D. H.

(2006). The revolving door for underrepresented minority faculty in higher

education: An analysis from the Campus Diversity Initiative. Washington, DC:

Association of American Colleges and Universities.

National Center for Education Statistics. (nd). Race/ethnicity of college faculty.

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=61

Ohio State University. (2015). Diversity action plan.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:CkbD3mtov8wJ:www.os

u.edu/diversityplan/index.php+&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Olivas, M.A. (1994). The education of Latino lawyers: An essay on crop cultivation.

Chicano-Latino Law Review, 14,117138.

Price, E.G., Powe, N.R., Kern, D.E., Hill Golden, S., Wand, G.S. & Cooper, L.A. (2009).

improving the diversity climate in academic medicine: Faculty perceptions as a

catalyst for institutional change. Academic Medicine, 84(1), 95-105.

Smith D. G. (2000). How to Diversity the faculty. Academe Online.

http://diversity.illinois.edu/SupportingDocs/HowToDiversifyTheFaculty.pdf

Smith, D. G., Turner, C. S., Osei-Kofi, N., & Richards, S. (2004). Interrupting the Usual:

Successful Strategies for Hiring Diverse Faculty. Journal of Higher

Education, 75(2), 133-160.

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University of Florida Office of Faculty Development (2013). Faculty recruitment toolkit.

http://www.aa.ufl.edu/Data/Sites/18/media/documents/faculty_toolkit.pdf

Weinberg, S. L. (2008). Monitoring faculty diversity: The need for a more granular

approach. Journal of Higher Education, 79(4), 365-387.

Faculty in Focus: Bridging the Diversity DivideDR. FRANCINE EDWARDSDELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITYMASS COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

2015 AAUP CONFERENCE

OVERVIEW

Introduction

Current Research on Faculty Diversity

Addressing the Underrepresentation [Underrepresented Minorities (URM)]

Case Studies and Best Practices: Diversity Initiatives that Work

Faculty as Agents of Change

Final Thoughts

INTRODUCTION

Increasing the diversity of faculty so that professors more closely reflect the student population remains a goal of the university.

A diverse faculty provides opportunity for diverse points of view.

The university is also committed to hiring faculty members with the ability to work with a diverse student population.

While the principle of valuing diversity is embraced by the university and reflected in public documents, processes are not fully in place for a coordinated, systematic, or strategic implementation of this principle at the college or departmental levels.

WHO ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?Under Represented Minority (URM) faculty include African American/Blacks, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Native Americans who are part of the domestic talent pool and considered underrepresented due to their historical and contemporary underrepresentation in the academy relative to their proportion in the general U.S. population (Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity, nd).

Image Courtesy: UMASS Medical School

The Emerging Professionals Summer Internship Program (EPSIP) is a ten-week, paid internship experience for talented underrepresented minority college

students. This pipeline program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to explore potential administrative careers in an academic health

science center.

CURRENT RESEARCH ON FACULTY DIVERSITYThe Focus

Most research focuses on the diverse student population.

Over the last decade, the impact of employing a racially and ethnically diverse faculty and ways for achieving that diversity have received greater attention in the literature.

2003 the Supreme Court affirmed the importance of racial and ethnic diversity in higher education with a ruling in Grutter v. Bollinger. In this decision, the Supreme Court stated that universities (specifically law schools).

Correlation between slow growth in faculty diversity and low numbers of terminal degree candidates that are minorities.

CURRENT RESEARCH ON FACULTY DIVERSITY Pipeline Theory and Myths

PIPELINE THEORY few students of color earning doctorate degrees = a limited pool or limited pipeline

Smith (2000) posits that the prevailing ideas about diversifying faculty involve myths that hinder the search process.

Image Courtesy: PHD Pipeline Opportunity Program

MYTHS

The scarcity of faculty of color in the sciences means that those who are available are in high demand.

Faculty of color are leaving academe altogether for more lucrative positions in government and industry.

Wealthy and prestigious institutions draw established faculty of color away from non-elite institutions with fewer resources.

Most scholars with an elite education only consider prestigious institutions in their job search.

REALITY

Most of the scientists in the study sample were pursuing postdoctoral studies and only 16% held faculty positions. None of the participants in the study had been sought by colleges and universities.

Most of the participants in the sample discussed the need to establish a career before age 40; they didnt want to continue in multiple postdocs. Others were turned off by inhumane search processes that left the feeling unappreciated. Lastly, for some the decision to leave reflected the problems in academia.

Outside offers do lure some faculty away from institutions but most of the participants indicated an unwillingness to move frequently based on monetary incentives.

Most participants in the study based their choices on the environment in which they wished to live, a desire to teach a diverse student body and an interest in institutions with missions related to their professional goals.

MYTH BUSTINGThe truth about recruiting URM

ADDRESSING THE UNDERREPRESENTATION [Underrepresented Minorities (URM)]

A 2011 study completed by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning revealed that there were three racial groups severely underrepresented among faculty; African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans.

Disparities in academic medicine increasing minority faculty numbers is further complicated by issues of harassment, bias, lack of mentorship, and discrimination by their colleagues in academic settings.

Minority faculty numbers in the humanities lower than in most other fields and in the postsecondary faculty population as a whole.

Image courtesy: Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity

ADDRESSING THE UNDERREPRESENTATION [Underrepresented Minorities (URM)] (cont.)

As it relates to underrepresented groups more hiring occurs when one of three designated conditions are met:

1. The job description used to recruit faculty members explicitly engages diversity at the department or subfield level:

2. An institutional special hire strategy, such as waiver of a search, target of opportunity hire, or spousal hire, is used;

3. The search is conducted by an ethnically/racially diverse search committee.

SOURCE: Smith D. G. (2000). How to Diversity the Faculty. Academe Online. http://diversity.illinois.edu/SupportingDocs/HowToDiversifyTheFaculty.pdf

CASE STUDIES AND BEST PRACTICES: DIVERSITY INITIATIVES THAT WORK

University of Ohio University of Florida Brooklyn College

5 year planCreation of a special center and programs including the creation of a Multicultural Center

The continuation of The Womans Place (a unit within academic affairs designed to support women in academia)

Note: between 2001 2006 the university saw increased appointments of women and minorities

Utilized the Faculty Recruitment Toolkit.

Toolkit provides guidance for good search support aligned with the university's mission

Targeted advertising to address the pipeline problem and deployed formal and structural mentoring programs to new hires.

5 year plan with four goals delineated to achieve diversity by implementing cultural, environmental and structural changes

The creating on a more inclusive environment

FACULTY AS AGENTS OF CHANGE

Faculty need to be informed by understanding the growing body of research on racial and ethnic diversity in the academy

Supporting and implementing best practices in hiring that have been demonstrated by peer institutions

Being honest about your search committees

Looking at how job descriptions are crafted (most mirror the current faculty which becomes problematic if there is an absent of diversity)

Before, during, and after the search process ensure that a representative pool of applications are invited to participate in the interview process

Use faculty from various departments, with a range of perspectives for search committees

Be willing to recruit people that do not look or think like you

DUKE UNIVERSITY

Recommendation One Vision and Leadership

Recommendation Two - Structural and Functional Changes

Recommendation Three School/Department/Division Diversity Plans

Recommendation Four - General Training in Diversity and Inclusion

Recommendation Five - Hiring Programs

Recommendation Six Faculty Searches

Recommendation Seven Retention

Recommendation Eight Data and Transparency

About the Duke Report: The Academic Council of Duke University was charged with articulating a vision for a diverse and inclusive Duke, assessing Dukes current position relative to this vision, and recommending actions designed to achieve this vision. Although the Council did not limit the Task Force in terms of coverage, the Task Force focused on faculty diversity in the 2014-2015 academic year.

R8: Data and Transparency

Collect, analyze, and share data

R7: Retention

Focus on (1) mentoring; (2) community building with affinity groups; (3)

data collection and analysis

R6: Faculty Searches

Utilize proven Faculty Search Toolkits or work

internally to create a kit of best practices in faculty searches specifically for

your university

R5: Hiring Programs

Create or reassess any special programs in

place already designed to target special pools

of candidates

R4: Training

The creation and oversight of

appropriate training modules

R3: Diversity Plans

Each School, Department, or

Division develop its own Diversity Plan

R2: Structural/Functional Changes

Improvements in vertical and horizontal communication

between and among schools/departments and

various administrative

R1: Vision & Leadership

Responsibility for advancing diversity and

inclusion lies with all members of the

university community

FINAL THOUGHTS

The changes institutions make to address the isolation and alienation of any marginalized populations mean a more accountable, more equitable, more ethical, and more dynamic institution and communicates to students

Universities have set forth bold initiatives but have found it challenging to coordinate the efforts to recruit a diverse pool of faculty at the departmental and administrative levels.

The goal should be to create pathways to share successful programs and identify gaps in current programs so that the statistical data coming out of future research shows significant growth.

THANK YOUFrancine Edwards

Delaware State University

fedwards@desu.edu

Academia.com/Francineedwards