Leverage Your Search Committees to Advance Diversity
While colleges and universities have made significant strides toward diversifying their student bodies, diversifying faculty and staff remains a challenge throughout academia. In 2017, people of color made up 24 percent of faculty at postsecondary institutions, compared to 45 percent of students. As of 2013, women accounted for only 36 percent of full professorships. On the staff side, senior college leadership fails to mirror the general population; college presidents who are people of color and/or women remain years—sometimes decades—away from parity with the general population.
The search process inevitably changes the composition of our institutions’ faculty and staff. Critically, however, the search process also represents an unparalleled opportunity to increase representation from historically marginalized and underrepresented communities in all staff and faculty positions. Our organization, the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC), recommends you leverage your Search Committee to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion as you augment your workforce.
Assemble a diverse Search Committee.
A homogenous search committee runs the risk of perpetuating unconscious bias. If your department is lacking in racial, ethnic, or gender diversity, consider inviting a diversity advocate or faculty member from a complementary department.
In the job description, emphasize your institution’s commitment to diversity.
In our 2019 survey of over 4,000 diverse higher education job seekers, 76 percent ranked an employer’s diversity and inclusion policies and practices as “very” or “extremely” important. The job description is the first opportunity to signal to candidates that your workplace values equity and inclusion.
