Diversifying Faculties

May 4, 2006 Philanthropy News Digest:

 

According to a new report from the James Irvine Foundation, colleges and universities are struggling to diversify because under-represented minority faculty are leaving almost as fast as they can be hired....

Colleges and Universities Are Struggling to Diversify Faculties, Report Finds


Colleges and universities are struggling to diversify their faculties, in part because under-represented minority faculty members are leaving almost as fast as they can be hired, a new report from the James Irvine Foundation finds.

The report, The Revolving Door for Underrepresented Minority Faculty in Higher Education, part of the foundation's Campus Diversity Initiative, analyzed faculty hiring and retention data at twenty-seven private colleges and universities in California between 2000 and 2004. Coordinated by the Association of American Colleges and Universities and Claremont Graduate University, the report found that under-represented minority faculty - particularly those who are African American, Latino, or Native American/Alaska Native - increased from 7 percent to 9 percent during the period. But according to researchers, the increase was limited by the high turnover rate among minority faculty. In addition, the report found that nearly three of five newly hired under-represented minority faculty are simply replacing minority faculty members who had moved on.

"We hope this report will spur campus administrators and the academic community to answer important questions not yet explored in this research," said Irvine Foundation president and CEO Jim Canales. "We need to understand what specific elements contribute to the revolving door so that we can address the unique experiences of under-represented minority faculty."

To read or download the complete report (21 pages, PDF), visit: http://www.irvine.org/assets/pdf/pubs/education/
insight_Revolving_Door.pdf.

"New Study: Revolving Door Undermines Efforts to Increase Faculty Racial/Ethnic Diversity." James Irvine Foundation Press Release 4/25/06.