Faculty/Staff Diversity

There are many thoughts as to what the role of diversity should be on many campuses across the country. Some would argue that each institution should be reflective of the community it represents, whereas others believe that diversity initiatives discriminate against the majority population. There is an exploration of how academic institutions implement diversity initiatives (i.e. the hiring process). Although there was significant growth, higher education has become concerned with the faculty shortage that was predicted to occur as a result of faculty member retirement. There is a discussion of how institutions, especially community colleges, expect to deal with the anticipated faculty shortage.

Keywords Accreditation; Adjunct Faculty; Community College; Diversity Initiatives; Engagement; Higher Education; Remedial Courses; Talent Management

Overview

There are many thoughts as to what the role of diversity should be on many campuses across the country. Some would argue that each institution should be reflective of the community it represents, whereas others believe that diversity initiatives discriminate against the majority population. This article explores how institutions implement policies and programs in order to increase diversity initiatives and awareness on the various campuses throughout the United States.

Why is Diversity Important?

"The function of the university is not simply to teach breadwinning, or to furnish teachers for the public schools or to be a centre of polite society; it is, above all, to be the organ of that fine adjustment between real life and the growing knowledge of life, an adjustment which forms the secret of civilization" (DuBois, 2005, p. 85). DuBois had a vision that institutions of higher education played a key role in shaping the minds of our future scholars. It was the institution's responsibility to bridge the gap between learning and taking the wealth of knowledge into the real world. "Colleges and universities bear special responsibilities not only as custodians of knowledge that create, disseminate, and perpetuate knowledge in society but also as institutions with moral responsibilities to maintain the well being of society" (Wilcox & Ebbs, 1992, p. xix). The faculty members were charged with educating and preparing students to enter the real world, which was pluralistic and diverse. In order to achieve this goal, institutions had to provide an atmosphere and culture that allowed students to learn from different perspectives.

Support for Diversity Initiatives

For the leadership of higher education institutions, diversity is not a luxury; it is a necessity. "With the changing demographics of student populations and the emergence by 2060 of a "minority majority" country, faculty and staff on university and college campuses must reflect the increasingly diverse nature of the United States population; homogeneity is not an alternative" (Evans a& Chun, 2007, p. 2). Some compelling arguments to support diversity initiatives include:

• Engagement - This concept supports the notion that faculty service and the learning experience goes beyond the campus. It implies that there is a two way relationship for students learning in an academic setting. Wood (2003) suggests that students learn from the wider campus experience as well as from those that work at the college (i.e. faculty and staff) who are assigned to impart knowledge into the minds of the student body. As a result, "the engaged campus builds on higher education's contribution to society and history of higher education that has always been inextricably intertwined with the larger purposes of American society" (Woods, 2003, p. 14).

• Talent Management - There is a need for a diverse faculty and staff population in order to stay competitive in a global economy. Hiring and retaining qualified faculty and staff is the most important factor in maintaining a competitive strategic advantage (Evans & Chun, 2007). There are many benefits of having a talented workforce. For example, "talented administrators enhance institutional capabilities through innovation, speed, efficiency, technological know-how, and social capabilities such as leadership, collaboration, communication, and a shared mind-set. Talented faculty bring innovation, disciplinary expertise, new research perspectives, and successful pedagogical approaches to the table" (Evans & Chun, 2007, p. 2).

• Civic Preparation - When students graduate from an institution that has a diverse community, they are better prepared to enter and meet the challenges of a global society. Research supports the impact of diversity in promoting student learning outcomes (i.e. critical thinking, intellectual engagement) and democracy outcomes (i.e. citizenship, engagement, racial and cultural understanding) (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado & Gurin, 2002); and in enriching the educational outcomes of undergraduates and that the "vitality, stimulation, and educational potential of an institution are directly related to the composition of the student body, faculty, and staff" (Milem, Chang & Antonio, 2005, p. 16).

• Institution Quality - Diversity and quality combined assist in the formation of a strong and durable constituency (Clayton-Pedersen & Musil, 2005). Institutional distinctiveness is formulated from an organization's culture that has a common set of values that are translated into policies, procedures and practices (Townsend, Newell & Wiese, 1992), and diversity and quality provide an opportunity for institutional differentiation (Evans & Chun, 2007). With the support of effective leadership, diversity can transform institutional culture and pedagogical approaches (Aguirre & Martinez, 2002) and create a foundation for institutional distinctiveness.

• Accreditation - Receiving and maintaining accreditation is a focal concern of institutions of higher education. Without it, they can not offer credible degrees and students cannot receive financial aid. "Accrediting agencies have increasingly emphasized the importance of diversity, demanding evidence of concrete and tangible actions related to the incorporation of diversity in campus programs and practices" (Evans & Chun, 2007, p. 3).

Diversity Hiring

"In the last ten years, many colleges, universities, boards, and agencies have jumped on the diverse faculty/hiring bandwagon not only by issuing resolutions, policies, and mandates, but also by inventing programs, initiatives, and strategies all intended to increase the number of faculty and staff of color in predominantly White institutions" (Kayes, 2006, p. 65). However, statistics show that most institutions still have 80-90% of the faculty and staff being members of the predominant group (Kayes, 2006). Why is there still a disconnect between the institutions and the communities that they represent? There are several reasons and Kayes (2006) discusses them in her article. Some of these reasons include:

• Perceptions - There are myths and assumptions regarding practices of diverse faculty/staff hiring in order to change the overall composition of the faculty. There is an assumption that: Those at the top support diversity initiatives, and; those on search committees have diversity as a top priority. Although senior leadership support of diversity initiatives is critical, the institutional culture must support the initiatives in order for the practices and plans to be successful.

• Resistance - Institutions that have a high level of resistance will find that it is hard to change the culture and environment. People bring their baggage and stereotypes with them.

• Sensitivity - In Bennett's (1993) model, there are three levels of intercultural sensitivity, and they are defense, minimization, and acceptance. Those individuals who fall in the "defense" category see cultural differences as a threat, and view diversity initiatives as promoting incompetence, affirmative action, and special privileges with candidates that represent diversification. Therefore, they will deny them equal opportunity and see them as inferior. "Minimizers" will highlight ethnocentric similarities instead of differences, but will only consider candidates who are like themselves and fit into the mainstream culture of their department or college. In other words, they support diversity as long as the candidates won't challenge the mainstream view. "Accepting" individuals are strong advocates of diversity.

Applications

Building a Diverse Faculty

Ashburn (2006) conducted a study on Illinois Central College, and had the opportunity to interview John S. Erwin, who became the president of the institution in 2001. When Erwin took over the job, he noticed that many of the faculty members were like him; white. What concerned him was that the faculty did not reflect the community in which the college served. He reported that 25 percent of the city's population and 13 percent of the college's students were minorities; however, seven percent of the college's full-time faculty and less than two percent of its adjunct faculty members were minorities.

One of Erwin's first initiatives was to change these statistics. He encouraged the community to consider diversity when making hires and he hired an executive director of diversity in 2004, three years after he took office. In addition, he mandated that every faculty hiring committee had to be diverse as well as go through diversity training, and he made sure that this policy was included in the faculty union contract. Lastly, Dr. Erwin implemented a policy that required the initial pool of candidates for faculty positions to be diverse. If the pool was not diverse, the search could not proceed.

Once the above-mentioned initiatives were implemented, the college community found that changes did occur. For example, in the past, faculty search committees were composed of members from the hiring department. In an effort to encourage diversity, many departments started to solicit committee members outside of the department in order to expand perspectives and diversity make-up of the committee. Many found that the new initiatives changed the perception of the campus. Illinois Central College was seen as more welcoming to minorities and there was an increase in the number of nonwhite faculty members. Initial results showed that the full-time minority faculty members increased to 8.8 percent and adjunct minority faculty increased to 5.5 percent (Ashburn, 2006).

Issues

Community Colleges

In the late 1990s, approximately 20 percent of the full-time faculty members teaching in higher education taught at community colleges (National Center for Education Statistics, 1997). In addition, 44 percent of the part-time faculty teaching in higher education taught at community colleges. Community colleges have seen a significant growth between the years of 1973 and 1992. The number of full-time professors grew from 152,000 to 254,000, and the adjunct faculty group grew from 11,000 to 135,500 (Cohen & Brawer, 1996). These statistics represent a 67 percent growth in full-time faculty and 53 percent increase in adjunct faculty being used at community colleges across the United States.

Retirements: Possibility for Increased Diversity

Although there was significant growth, higher education has become concerned with the faculty shortage that was predicted to occur as a result of the faculty members retiring. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is an entity that tracks important statistics regarding the field of education. According to their records, almost half of the full-time faculty members are expected to retire between the years of 2017 and 2025. There is a concern about who will replace these individuals once they leave. This is an opportunity for those colleges desiring to increase their pool of minority faculty applicants to implement diversity plans to attract qualified candidates within the various demographics. Replacing retiring faculty opens the doors for institutions to renew their committee to diversification.

Diversity Disparities within Community Colleges

Many students start at the community college level for a variety of reasons. Two of the most noteworthy reasons include finances and academic readiness. There are students who may have to take remedial courses in order to get acclimated to the college learning experience. "As community colleges continue to enroll significant numbers of students from different ethnic backgrounds, increasing minority faculty representation becomes a critical responsibility for colleges; however, the current reality is that the diversity of the community college faculty is not yet close to achieving the same degree of diversity that exists among its student body" (Rifkin, 2003., par. 8). In addition, there have been reports that suggest that community colleges are falling behind four-year institutions in the diversity among their faculty, especially with hiring new faculty members. Finkelstein, Seal, and Schuster (1998) conducted research and reported a list of characteristics of the "new faculty generation." One statistic showed that faculty new hires in the community college environment were 15 percent compared to 18-20 percent at research and doctorate-granting institutions. Although this figure represents a gain, the number of minority faculty is still not representative of the 30 percent minority student population at community colleges.

Rifkin (2003) claims that the number one reason cited for the slow growth of minority faculty representation is a small pool of potential minority candidates. Robertson and Frier (1994) noted that fewer minorities were selecting education and the social sciences as a career choice, which reduces the number of potential candidates for the liberal arts disciplines. Another factor in the decline of qualified minority faculty for the selection pool is the lack of formal academic preparation for teaching at the community college level. In the early seventies, there were programs that focused on this need. However, they were seen as "grossly inadequate and taught by narrow, subject matter specialists" (O'Banion, 1972, p. 84). As a result of this type of criticism, the programs were discontinued.

Conclusion

For the leadership of higher education institutions, diversity is not a luxury; it is a necessity. "With the changing demographics of student populations and the emergence by 2060 of a "minority majority" country, faculty and staff on university and college campuses must reflect the increasingly diverse nature of the United States population; homogeneity is not an alternative" (Evans & Chun, 2007, p. 2).

"In the last ten years, many colleges, universities, boards, and agencies have jumped on the diverse faculty/hiring bandwagon not only by issuing resolutions, policies, and mandates, but also by inventing programs, initiatives, and strategies all intended to increase the number of faculty and staff of color in predominantly White institutions" (Kayes, 2006, p. 65). However, statistics show that most institutions still have 80-90% of the faculty and staff being members of the predominant group (Kayes, 2006).

Although there was significant growth, higher education has become concerned with the faculty shortage that was predicted to occur as a result of faculty member retirement. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is an entity that tracks important statistics regarding the field of education. According to their records, almost half of the current full-time faculty members are expected to retire between the years of 2017 and 2025. There is a concern about who will replace these individuals once they leave. This is an opportunity for those colleges desiring to increase their pool of minority faculty applicants to implement diversity plans to attract qualified candidates within the various demographics. Replacing retiring faculty opens the doors for institutions to renew their commitment to diversification.

"As community colleges continue to enroll significant numbers of students from different ethnic backgrounds, increasing minority faculty representation becomes a critical responsibility for colleges; however, the current reality is that the diversity of the community college faculty is not yet close to achieving the same degree of diversity that exists among its student body" (Rifkin, 2003, par. 8). In addition, there have been reports that suggested that community colleges are falling behind four-year institutions in the diversity among their faculty, especially with hiring new faculty members. Finkelstein, Seal, and Schuster (1998) conducted research and reported a list of characteristics of the "new faculty generation." One statistic showed that faculty new hires in the community college environment were 15 percent compared to 18-20 percent at research and doctorate-granting institutions. Although this figure represents a gain, the number of minority faculty is still not representative of the 30 percent minority student population at community colleges.

Ashburn (2006) conducted a study on Illinois Central College, and had the opportunity to interview John S. Erwin, who became the president of the institution in 2001. When Erwin took over the job, he noticed that many of the faculty members were like him, white. What concerned him was that the faculty did not reflect the community in which the college served. He reported that 25 percent of the city's population and 13 percent of the college's students were minorities; however, seven percent of the college's full-time faculty and less than two percent of its adjunct faculty members were minorities.

One of Erwin's first initiatives was to change these statistics. He encouraged the community to consider diversity when making hires and he hired an executive director of diversity in 2004, three years after he took office. In addition, he mandated that every faculty hiring committee had to be diverse as well as go through diversity training, and he made sure that this policy was included in the faculty union contract. Lastly, Dr. Erwin implemented a policy that required the initial pool of candidates for faculty positions to be diverse. If the pool was not diverse, the search could not proceed.

Terms & Concepts

Accreditation: The establishment of the status, legitimacy or appropriateness of an academic institution, school or program by an accepted governing organization.

Adjunct Faculty: Part-time faculty at an institution of learning. Most adjunct faculty do not enjoy the same benefits or compensation as full-time, tenured instructors and are only minimally involved in curriculum and materials decisions.

Community College: A junior college without residential facilities that is often funded by the government.

Diversity Initiatives: Initiatives that target systemic problems within an organization as a whole. In a school system, each department or school creates an individual program of long-term solutions which includes defining the issues, providing concrete methods for removing barriers, and a plan of action, follow-up measures, and accountability.

Engagement: This concept supports the notion that faculty service and the learning experience goes beyond the campus. It implies that there is a two way relationship for students learning in an academic setting.

Higher Education: Education beyond the secondary level.

Remedial Courses: Courses which aim to provide pre-college level knowledge needed for a student to begin college-level work. Remedial courses are normally not credited courses, but are required for entry into college credit courses.

Talent Management: A deliberate approach taken by an organization to attract, develop and retain people with the aptitude and abilities to meet current and future needs. Talent management involves individual and organizational development in response to a changing and complex operating environment. It includes the creation and maintenance of a supportive, people oriented organization culture (www.quickmanagement.com).

Bibliography

Aguirre, A., Jr., & Martinez, R. (2002). Leadership practices and diversity in higher education: Transitional and transformational frameworks. Journal of Leadership Studies, 8 , 53-62.

Ashburn, E. (2006, October 27). Building a diverse faculty. The Chronicle of Higher Education (supp), B5.

Clayton-Pedersen, A., & Musil, C. (2005). A framework for making excellence inclusive: Next steps for embedding inclusive excellence in colleges and universities. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from http://www.sjsu.edu/strategicplan/docs/AACU_IE_Draft-paper.doc Cohen, A., & Brawer, F. (1996). The American community college (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Coleman, S., & Stevenson, H.C. (2013). The racial stress of membership: Development of the faculty inventory of racialized experiences in schools. Psychology in the Schools, 50, 548-566. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=88309527&site=ehost-live

DuBois, W. (2005). The souls of black folk. New York: Pocket Books.

Evans, A., & Chun, E. (2007). Are the walls really down? Behavioral and organizational barriers to faculty and staff diversity. ASHE Higher Education Report, 33 , 1-139.

Finkelstein, M., Seal, R., & Schuster, J. (1998). The new academic generation: A profession in transformation. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University.

Gurin, P., Dey, E., Hurtado, S., & Gurin, G. (2002). Diversity and higher education: Theory and impact on educational outcomes. Harvard Educational Review, 72 , 330-366.

Kayes, P. (2006). New paradigms for diversifying faculty and staff in higher education: Uncovering cultural biases in the search and hiring process. Multicultural Education, 14 , 65-69. Retrieved November 6, 2007 from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=24496283&site=ehost-live

Milem, J., Chang, M., & Antonio, A. (2005). Making diversity work on campus: A research-based perspective. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities. Rifkin, T. (2003). Public community college faculty. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from http://www.aacc.nche.edu.

Robinson, P.A., Byrd, D., Louis, D.A., & Bonner, F.A. (2013). Enhancing faculty diversity at community colleges: A practical solution for advancing the completion agenda. FOCUS on Colleges, Universities & Schools, 7, 1-11. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=90663591&site=ehost-live

Roy, L. (2013). Faculty diversity: We still have a lot to learn. Chronicle of Higher Education, 60, A72. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=92043239&site=ehost-live

Townsend, B., Newell, L., & Wiese, M. (1992). Creating distinctiveness: Lessons from uncommon colleges and universities. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, No. 6. Washington, DC: School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University.

Wilcox, J., & Ebbs, S. (1992). The leadership compass: Values and ethics in higher education. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, No. 1. Washington, DC: School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University.

Wood, M. (2003). From service to solidarity: Engaged education and democratic globalization. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 8 , 165-182.

Suggested Reading

Lindman, J., & Tahamont, M. (2006). Transforming selves, transforming courses: Faculty and staff development and the construction of interdisciplinary diversity courses. Innovative Higher Education, 30 , 289-304. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=19316234&site=ehost-live

Lipka, S. (2006). On a wing and a prayer. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 52 , A47-48. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=20445801&site=ehost-live

Mangan, K. (2007). Education department will challenge law-school accreditor's diversity standard. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 53 , A23. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=23776062&site=ehost-live