Workshop Leaders: Flora Brooke Anthony, Kennesaw State University; Christopher Bennett, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Nationally, colleges and universities have been trying to create more inclusive departments and faculty. Greater diversity means access to talent in unrepresented areas, enhanced problem-solving through the presence of a multiplicity of backgrounds and perspectives, and the renewed vigor and creativity known to come with it. Diversity guides and faculty resource kits are made available for searches. Administrative resources are allocated to educate search committee heads about the proportion of diverse faculty in comparison with peer institutions, and in relation to the student body. And yet, even with such initiatives, change is slow and (all too) limited. Problems with this existing approach to diversity hiring include the fact that familiarizing faculty with important issues revolving around diversity hires takes time, and ‘finding’ that time, and making a case for it, can itself be a challenge. While ideologically in favor of diversity initiatives, faculty searches often fall short when selecting candidates. Some may opt to see someone like themselves as the best fit. Or, perhaps the most diverse and exceptional candidates are chosen, but searches still fail when a variety of factors make attracting such talent itself a distinct challenge. How can we translate the desire to have diverse departments into reality?
Workshop Specializations: Job Search: Applications and/or Interviewing Strategies, Networking and Career Promotion
