Institutions Adjust Faculty Diversity Strategies Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Although budget cuts in the wake of COVID-19 have led to hiring freezes at some institutions, faculty diversity initiatives continue.

In the pandemic world of academia, many institutions are struggling to keep enrollment up and costs down, but there is still a distinct awareness that moves must be made to bring faculty diversity closer to student diversity. Data released in fall 2020 by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) show that, while underrepresented minorities comprise 32.6% of the U.S. population, they make up only 12.9% of full-time faculty.

Irene MulveyEfforts to recruit and retain faculty from underrepresented populations are ongoing, but COVID-19 has impeded some of the efforts. The pandemic has impacted research and delayed the completion of some doctorates, says Dr. Irene Mulvey, president of AAUP and professor of mathematics at Fairfield University. Many academic conferences have been cancelled, scaled back or held virtually, which impacts graduate students who traditionally present their research and use conferences to network, discover job opportunities and connect with potential career mentors.

It has also created opportunities. 

“I know there have been a lot of faculty retiring,” says Mulvey. “If we can build higher education back better than it was before the pandemic, we may have an opportunity to … have more people on the tenure track.” 

“Beyond graduating increasingly diverse classes of students, institutions have the opportunity to really walk the walk. As employers of 3.9 million people, they can be leaders in equitable hiring,” says Eleanor Eckerson Peters, associate director of research and policy at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP). 

“The way that you message and demonstrate diversity from the top down is crucial,” says Dr. Daniel E. Lemons, interim executive vice chancellor of the City University of New York (CUNY) and former president of Lehman College (CUNY institution). “You can look at senior leadership and see diversity there. To me, that sets the stage for all the practical things you do.”