The Committee on Academic Priorities 2006 (CAP) 3.5 Enhancing Faculty Diversity

3.5 Enhancing Faculty Diversity

Opportunities for reflection, analysis, and intellectual exchange are enriched when faculty bring a diversity of critical perspectives, social and cultural backgrounds, and intellectual preparation to the community. Even with respect to a broad definition of diversity in terms of race, gender, and culture, as well as new areas of scholarly interest, research methods, or divergent intellectual views, efforts to enhance diversity within the faculty are constrained by the slow rate of turnover and the limits imposed by the pace of production of new PhDs among scholars who belong to underrepresented groups or who study in emergent fields. Opportunities for such hires often come at moments when a department will not have a slot until the next retirement or departure. The College will benefit if the Dean, in consultation with the CEP, can provide resources to move swiftly at such moments.

Full or fractional FTEs for diversity purposes should be allocated to departments as “bridging” appointments until a retirement or departure occurs, at which time the department will revert to the size it would have been without the diversity hire, and the FTE can be reassigned.

9. We recommend that 2 FTEs be reserved to allow accelerated hiring to take advantage of targeted “opportunity” hires that invigorate or enrich the racial, cultural, gender, and/or intellectual diversity of the faculty.