Minority Professor Recruitment and Retention

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Student Assembly Task Force Report:
Minority Professor Recruitment and Retention

Compiled and Written by Allen Buansi ’09, Lia M. Cheek ‘09, Thiago Oliveria ’06,
Erin Johnson ’08, Alessandra V. Necamp ‘09, Connor D. Shepherd ‘07, Nichole R.
Davis ‘10, Lisa Moon ‘08, Jarrell E. Mitchell ’09, Anoop Rathod ‘07
And the Diversity and Community Committee
Yuki Kondo-Shah ’07, Chair
Winter 2007

Introduction

Purpose of the Student Assembly Diversity and Community Affairs Committee

As spelled out in the Student Assembly constitution, the Diversity and
Community Affairs committee “shall address the general concerns of inclusiveness and
pluralism in the Dartmouth community, issues of: race, ethnicity, religion, nation of
origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, and socioeconomic status, as well as the
particular concerns of groups including but not limited to GLBTQ students, women
students, students of color and international students. This committee shall designate at
least one member to research impending motions;”

Dartmouth must do its best to recruit and retain faculty who represent the students
they teach and the diverse society in which we all live. Dartmouth’s scholarly pursuits are
enriched by bringing together students and faculty of different backgrounds, interests,
experiences and perspectives.

In keeping with the goals and aims of Student Assembly, the purpose of this
report is to examine the lack of retention and recruitment of minority professors,
including, but not limited to, race, sexual preference, gender, age, and socioeconomic
status. College administrators, faculty, and students have observed a lack of diversity
within many academic departments; much of this is due to low minority faculty retention.
The aim of this report is to:
1. Research and evaluate the cause of this trend of low minority faculty retention,
2. Present this information to Student Assembly, the college administration, the
general student body,
3. Propose possible solutions, and courses of action.

In the winter term of 2006 a survey was administered by Student Assembly to
assess student opinions on diversity within the faculty. It asked students how many
courses they have taken that were taught by minority faculty, what they thought of the
number of minority professors at the college, and who in the administration should be
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responsible for increasing diversity within the faculty. In response to the survey, the
committee determined that a lack of diversity within the faculty is a serious issue that has
to be addressed and worked on. The Diversity and Community Affairs Committee
recognizes that the College has struggled to increase faculty diversity and retain minority
faculty. This report continues to investigate the college’s efforts, historically and at
present, to increase the diversity within Dartmouth faculty.
In the spring term of 2006, the Diversity and Community Affairs Committee
conducted a series of interviews with twenty-eight professors in the Arts and Science,
Medical, and Thayer Schools to assess their opinions of diversity within the Dartmouth
faculty. These interviews are confidential, as they include the personal accounts of
professors, and the committee does not wish that professors’ status at the College be
determined based on their responses.
In order to better understand the frustrations of the college and trends in the
College’s efforts, the Diversity and Community Affairs Committee researched the
College's historical efforts from 1971 to 2005 to increase diversity among the faculty.
This research was done in fall of 2006. We used 1971 as a starting point from which to
assess the College's efforts, as this was the date that the college began to seriously take
action towards diversifying the faculty in the form of sex desegregation.

Current Statistics
We commend the college for their work in making the Dartmouth faculty the
most proportionately diverse in the Ivy League. However, we urge against a complacent
interpretation of this data. Owing to the faculty’s small size, what seems like a sizable
percentage of ethnic faculty translates to only a handful of individuals; further, the
aggregate percentages proffered by the data disguise the disparities which exist between
departments.
Some of the recommendations made by this report are not new, but rather
expressions of support for current efforts being made by the Administration. However,
beyond mere congratulations they should be read as advocating for a re-doubling of these
efforts.

Methodology
Our methodology was constructed with the intent of collecting unbiased and
random data. We began the process by sending out a request for interviews to the heads
of each academic department, whom we asked to pass the information on to their faculty.
Those who responded to our request were interviewed by members of the Committee.
These interviews were conducted using a set of questions developed by the committee as
a whole. These questions referred to individual demographic data of the subject, the
perceptions and experiences of unequal treatment and of diversity on the campus during
that faculty member's time at Dartmouth, their opinion on the cause of the low retention
rate of diverse faculty, their opinions and suggestions about the role of Student
Assembly, and the actions that should be taken to correct these issues. The interviews
taken were summarized, and relevant aspects of individual interviews were integrated
into the report.
Additionally, members of the committee sought statistics in regards to
Affirmative Action and minority faculty retainment. Through the Rauner Special
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Collections Library, the Affirmative Action Plans produced by the college itself were
acquired for the pertinent years, from 1971 to 2005. The trends and evaluations of the
data were interpreted by unbiased committee members who had never before seen the
data.

Efforts of the College Since 1971

Prior to 1995, the percentage of minority faculty in tenured or tenure-track
positions increased at a greater rate than that of the general faculty. However, the
percentage of minority faculty has steadily increased since 1995 at a rate only roughly
commensurate with aggregate faculty growth.
Further, the methodologies employed by the College to collect relevant data about
minority faculty recruitment and retention are inadequate. Data collected from Rauner
Library about the ethnic/gender makeup of faculty and appointed faculty is extremely
vague. It makes no reference to how many faculty departed in a given year, and this
number cannot be extrapolated from the present data. Not only should this number be
present, but additionally, an attempt should be made to break down departing faculty into
several other categories, such as retiring faculty or those individuals going on sabbatical.
Accurate metrics for retention and recruitment are crucial in terms of identifying deficits
and formulating strategies to work through them. However, we do understand that
EO/AA data collection is governed by Executive Order 11246; publicly reporting on the
specifics of why people leave can be a violation of privacy in some instances owing to
the small size of the Dartmouth faculty body, and we would never recommend any course
of action which could jeopardize the rights of our Professors. However, we do believe
that steps could be taken within the law to make information more available.

Professor Interviews
During the course of the 2005-2006 school year, members of the Diversity and
Community Affairs Committee interviewed Dartmouth professors to get their opinion on
diversity within the faculty. Committee members interviewed over thirty professors who
chose to be interviewed. In general, nearly all thirty agreed that diversity is not well
represented at Dartmouth. Additionally, almost every professor admitted to feeling at a
disadvantage whether it was because of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or age.
Diversity as a personal issue tended to be the major topic of discussion during the
interviews. Throughout the interviews, the universality of the problem of a lack of
diversity on campus was constantly recognized. We recognize, however, that this was a
small pool of faculty, and the interviews may not reflect the opinions of the faculty body
as a whole.
Members of the faculty, regardless of their background, believed that there were
certain factors which affected minority faculty retention rates at Dartmouth. Some of
those factors dealt with Dartmouth’s location. The rural setting of the Upper Valley was
often mentioned, which one English professor described as “not exactly the most diverse
place or the most hospitable to people in the sense that there isn’t really a good place
outside the Hanover area where you could, say for instance, raise a family, or just for
economic or social sanity.” Other professors mentioned the high price of living in
Hanover. As a single person of color, faculty members had the potential to feel isolated
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because there were no places to meet or look for other people from similar backgrounds.
Minority professors with families also mentioned the potential to feel out of place saying
that the lack of an urban environment and others from similar backgrounds could make it
hard to bring up children in Hanover.
Although many faculty members stated that Dartmouth has been doing a good job
in actively trying to recruit faculty members from diverse backgrounds, quite a few
professors believed that the individual departments were not as diverse as they could be.
They said that some departments have greatly increased the number of faculty members
from diverse backgrounds over the last few years while other departments continue to
hire white male professors from similar backgrounds. Some of the minority professors
expressed feeling that there is always the uncomfortable notion of feeling like the token
professor in their department. In the interviews, there were also subtle references as to
whether or not minority professors are at Dartmouth to fill a quota or based on merit.
Many professors who identified as members of a racial minority group expressed
constantly being forced to do things that benefit their race on campus at the risk of
hurting their careers. For example, one professor expressed the possibility of doing too
much work with interdisciplinary programs such as African and African American
studies, Asian American studies, etc. at the risk of breaking down relations with his home
department and missing out on getting votes for such issues as tenured positions.
In reviewing the interviews, respondents were asked whether they thought the
lack of diversity is a problem that could be fixed, or whether they thought it to be a
natural result of such factors as geographic location or current minority representation in
the overall academy. Faculty recruitment and retention seems to be trapped in a vicious
cycle; the lack of diversity among faculty is a major reason of the unwillingness of many
minority professors to come teach at Dartmouth, thus Dartmouth can not hope to increase
retention effectively.
When asked what the administration could do to improve diversity amongst the
faculty, interviewed professors responded with a general suggestion that something needs
to be done, although not necessarily with a clear consensus as to what. Ideas ranged from
Dartmouth making a stronger financial commitment in promoting itself as a place where
“free-ranging discussions” are made about diversity to having minority professors
specifically be involved in recruitment to reflect a diverse face to the public. The idea of
minority professors recruiting minority professors is thought to allow for prospective
candidates to see a visual representation of the diverse population of the school. Many
stressed a stronger dual commitment to the increasing and accommodating diversity from
the administration as well as fellow faculty. A professor from the summed it up that,
“We need to do our best to make it known that it’s ok to be different here at Dartmouth,
that in fact you’re encouraged to be here."
As for the Student Assembly, the professors agreed that the Student Assembly
could possibly play a major role in minority recruitment by unifying as one voice to
speak to the administration. This pertains not just to students on Student Assembly, but
also to the student body as a whole. The same professor insisted, “The administration
does listen to students, and the trustees do listen. I know it doesn’t always seem like it,
but it does matter.” A professor said that it is not just about stressing diversity as an
issue, but rather about pushing for a specific, constructive plan by which more diversity
could be achieved. A male physics professor did not necessarily agree that the Student
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Assembly had much power, but he did consent that collecting data from different
departments and observing the composition of each department was an important first
move.

Recommendations
At this point, members of the Diversity and Community Affairs seek to provide
recommendations for retaining minority professors at Dartmouth College. These
recommendations come after careful consideration of the aforementioned data, peer
institution reports, and interviews. Our recommendations are as follows:

First, there must be sustained and renewed coordination between the
organizations and offices that impact hiring of faculty, administrator, and staff. Dean of
Faculty, Human Resources, Institutional and Diversity and Equity, Office of Public
Affairs should all meet and discuss best hiring practices.

Second, the administration must overhaul the data collection mechanisms and
methods in regards to faculty make-up and retention. The data available to us was very
vague, making it difficult to deduce any sort of conclusions regarding minority faculty
retention. As an Ivy League institution Dartmouth has a specific responsibility to
accurately collect and present this data. Data relating to the reasons specific faculty
members have left (sabbatical, retirement, personal, etc.) must be included as well, so as
to give the College better feed back in regards to retaining minority faculty. Once again,
we do understand that EO/AA data collection is governed by a federal regulation:
executive order 11246. Publicly reporting on the specifics of why people leave can be a
violation of privacy in some instances; it is too easy to identify who people are when the
numbers are small.

Third, we support and encourage more extensive use of advertising to minority
graduate students and academic professionals through specific journals and other
avenues, and general applicant pool formation overseen by the Office of Diversity and
Equity should be audited (see appendix A2).

Fourth, the Dartmouth administration must make a formal and written and public
commitment to diversify its faculty body. Professors who are considering Dartmouth will
see it as an institution where they might want to work. For an example of how this was
done at Stanford, see appendix A3.

Fifth, as one of the most powerful landowners in New Hampshire, Dartmouth
College should make a continued effort to help meet the high cost of living in Hanover.
This can be done through broader housing subsidies, which would require an increase in
faculty salaries, or through subsidized housing (either through the college, or jointly with
the town of Hanover). We are currently in contact with the College Housing Department
to find out more about this process, and have been informed that there are currently 300
additional housing units being constructed for faculty near the community.

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Sixth, in recruiting a diverse faculty, the administration must focus not just on
overall school diversity but on departmental diversity as well. The idea being that it is
important for minority professors to be surrounded by not only a diverse community at-
large, but also by a diverse intimate intellectual community as well.

Seventh, a faculty committee overseeing academic departments should be formed
consisting of senior faculty and administrators from each academic department, deans,
and the Provost. At peer institutions, such committees meet once a month to discuss
progress within their departments and share strategies.

Eighth, a mentorship program specifically geared toward retaining minority junior
faculty should be put into effect. This will give junior faculty support and build a
stronger community which will lead to higher retention. (See appendix A4.)

Ninth, the administration must provide more support for minority faculty in terms
of providing systems where racism and other forms of discrimination (perceived or
otherwise) or a lack of respect among peers can be reported.

Tenth, there is a need to increase the overall sense of community at Dartmouth by
including students, administrators, and faculty in a joint, ongoing discussion about
campus diversity as a whole. Student Assembly can play a pivotal role by creating
dialogue about these issues. Creating a strong community that involves both students and
faculty has two effects; the first is the allowance of the unobstructed flow of intellectual
ideas between students and faculty. The second is the ability of students to adequately
express to minority faculty that their presence, as well as diversity in experiences and
ideas is deeply valued and needed at Dartmouth College.

Eleventh, the College must compile and publish, online and offline, a list of
resources which new or prospective faculty can go to for help regarding professional or
personal issues such as faculty development or housing. The list should enumerate
specifically which services each office or resource provides. For an example of how this
can be done, see appendix A5.

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Appendix A: Related Materials from Peer Institutions

A1) Harvard’s Guidelines for Recruitment

The recruitment process is often more important than the hiring process when including
the best available talent in a faculty search. Identifying a broad pool of applicants during
the search requires that search committees educate themselves in the variety of academic
and professional networks available.

Search Committee Guidelines: The faculty handbooks on the appointment processes for
each School offer basic search committee guidelines; some have undergone recent
revision and are more comprehensive than others. The following guidelines come from
scholarly articles on search processes for the most excellent, diverse pool of applicants:

* Ensure that the composition of the search committee is diverse in background,
perspective and expertise.
* Educate members of search committees about best hiring practices.
* Work with professional ethnic and women affiliated societies (e.g. Society of Black
Engineers, Society for Women in Science).
* Use job descriptions indicating educational or scholarly links to the study of gender,
race or ethnicity where appropriate.
* In the sciences, add criteria in faculty job descriptions for successful experiences
working with diverse student groups.
* Employ intervention strategies to enhance the traditional search processes by using
spousal hires, expanded job descriptions, or modification of usual requirements to meet
program needs.
* If a search pinpoints more than one best candidate, possibly hire all such candidates;
that is, temporarily enlarge the department for an unexpected opportunity of hire.

For African American and Native American faculty, a combination of links to their field
of research, or "diversity indicators," and special hire interventions is critical. Traditional
or regular search processes in fields unrelated to diversity typically do not yield diverse
hires. For more information on these strategies see: Johnson and Wiley, 2000; Smith,
Turner, Osei-Kofi, and Richards, 2004; and Turner, 2002 in the annotated bibliography.
From http://www.faculty.harvard.edu/01/011.html

A2) See http://www.faculty.harvard.edu/01/0112.html for a list of minority-oriented
professional organizations from which faculty could potentially be recruited.

A3) See http://www.stanford.edu/dept/provost/diversity.pdf, page 4, for an example of a
formal commitment to diversity within the faculty.

A4) See http://www.stanford.edu/dept/provost/diversity.pdf, page 8, for an example of
guidelines for faculty mentorship and counseling.

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A5) See http://www.stanford.edu/dept/provost/diversity.pdf, page 11, for an example of a
list of resources for new or prospective faculty members.

A6) See http://www.stanford.edu/dept/provost/diversity.pdf, page 14, for a list of
applicable legal precedents for handling affirmative action issues regarding faculty
recruitment and retention.

A7) President Wright’s Speech 2003, where he commits to faculty diversity:

"We also need to do better to retain our best faculty. Competitive compensation is
necessary to this goal - but it is not sufficient to reach the goal. We have had some losses
that frustrate me and, I believe, set back some of our best efforts. Last summer I asked the
Provost to meet with the academic deans in arts and sciences and with the office of
institutional diversity and equity to review these situations. Among other things, we need
to all work harder to provide opportunities for faculty spouses and partners. As a follow-
up to these issues I will encourage the Dean of Faculty to consider with the Committee on
Organization and Policy and/or the Committee on the Faculty whether we need to pursue
any specific new initiatives. In all instances, success in this regard will require a shared
commitment to the goal in all of the departments and areas that appoint and hire. I would
also like to see us build on our success in hiring faculty of color and women. This is a
matter of institutional importance and priority. We have had some notable recent success
in this area and compare well with our peers, but this may say more about the academy as
a whole than it does about us.

In addition to expanding the faculty, achieving more competitive compensation,
addressing spouse and partner professional issues, and providing support for scholarship
we also need to develop more support for teaching innovation and development.
Excellent teachers do not just happen - they need to be encouraged and rewarded and
they need information and feedback on what works and what does not work and what
new technologies and pedagogies can be used effectively. Despite our strong teaching
culture here, we have not done well in providing this support. A generous donor has just
agreed to provide $3 million of endowment that, with existing gifts for this purpose, will
fund the operation of the Center for the Advancement of Learning. We have identified
space in the Baker Library in the former periodicals room for this activity."

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~presoff/speeches/2003/1027.html

Resources Consulted:
Affirmative Action Reports located in Rauner Special Collections Library
Faculty Handbook
Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity
Office of Pluralism and Leadership
Office of Institutional Research
Dartmouth Ombudsman
Human Resources
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Administrators interviewed:
Dean of Faculty, Carol Folt
Dean of College, Dan Nelson
Institutional Diversity and Equity, Michelle Meyers
Vice President of Diversity, Stuart Lord
Office of Pluralism and Leadership, Mattie Stevens
Office of Pluralism and Leadership, Nora Yasumura

Future administrators to be interviewed:
Nels Armstrong
President Wright
Provost Scherr

Daryl G. Smith, Achieving Faculty Diversity: Debunking the Myths, Association of
American Colleges and Universities, 1996.

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Instructional Faculty Minority and Gender Composition Statistics for Ivy League Institutions

1
Dartmouth College Common Data Set 2006-2007
2
Yale University Common Data Set 2005-2006
3
Princeton University Common Data Set 2005-2006
4
Columbia University Statistical Abstract, Fall 2005
5
Brown University Common Data Set 2005-2006
6
Cornell University Common Data Set 2006-2007
7
Minority faculty: includes faculty who designate themselves as black, non-Hispanic;
American Indian or Alaskan native;
Asian or Pacific Islander; or Hispanic.

Dartmouth
College1
Harvard
University
Yale
University2
Princeton
University3
Columbia
University4
Brown
University5
University of
Pennsylvania
Cornell
University6
Total Faculty
647 N/A 1,481 1060 3,392 823 N/A 1,869
Total Minority
Faculty7 142 N/A 224 169 722 94 N/A 265
Percent Minority
Faculty 22% N/A 7% 16% 21% 11% N/A 14%
Total Women
Faculty 239 N/A 506 312 1257 271 N/A 564
Percent Women
Faculty 37% N/A 34% 29% 37% 33% N/A 30%
Total Non-
Resident
(International)
Faculty
43 N/A N/A 135 263 101 N/A 120
Percent Non-
Resident
(International)
Faculty
7% N/A N/A 13% 8% 12% N/A 6%