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Board of Visitors discusses U.Va. demographics, diverse faculty-hiring initiatives

University should double African-American faculty members within five years, Dr. Marcus Martin says

<p>The meeting included a presentation by Dr. Marcus Martin, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity. Martin discussed faculty and student diversity data from the University and its peer institutions.</p>

The meeting included a presentation by Dr. Marcus Martin, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity. Martin discussed faculty and student diversity data from the University and its peer institutions.

The Board of Visitors’ Executive Committee met Thursday to discuss student and faculty diversity initiatives.

The meeting included a presentation by Dr. Marcus Martin, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity. Martin discussed faculty and student diversity data from the University and its peer institutions.

Martin reviewed data on the demographics of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff at the University, Virginia Tech, University of North Carolina, University of Michigan, the College of William and Mary, the University of Pennsylvania and University of California, Los Angeles.

“I was asked by the Board to include Michigan, UCLA, William and Mary and Virginia Tech,” Martin said. “I thought having seven schools, particularly UPenn as a private school and UNC — essentially our comparison school in North Carolina — would round out the data.”

Members of the Board expressed concerns about Virginia’s demographics relative to minority representation at the University, especially as it compares to the demographics of other states and institutions.

In a discussion of how the University should go about admitting more underrepresented students, Board member John Macfarlane said Virginia’s racial profile should be considered.

“[The data] have to, or should be, relative to the state because that’s the pool from which we’re fishing,” Macfarlane said.

Thomas Katsouleas, executive vice president and provost, also presented a plan for faculty recruitment.

Katsouleas’ presentation focused on strategies for recruiting a more diverse faculty. They included the “cluster hires” technique in which the University scouts a group of diverse new hires who already have experience working together in specialized areas.

In addition to increasing diversity, cluster hiring makes the University more collaborative, Katsouleas said.

“This is a really powerful strategy to take advantage of our size and our collaborative culture,” he said. “[The hires] add strength to more schools and more departments.”

The other strategy — “target of opportunity” — focuses on pursuing a more diverse faculty through specific prospective hires, rather than the general recruitment process. This strategy allows for more focused recruitment for underrepresented fields.

“It's a hunting license to go after someone who brings opportunity,” Katsouleas said. “It’s very aggressive, very strategic and opportunistic at the same time.”

The University currently has 59 tenured or tenure-track African-American faculty members, Martin said. The Board should aim to raise the number to 70 within a year, 80 within 2 years and to double it within five years, he said.

“The message is that we have an opportunity to make a difference with every female and minority hire,” Martin said. “We certainly have the funds allocated to faculty recruitment to move the needle.”

The Executive Committee recently merged with the Board Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, a change which has allowed for the whole board to attend meetings discussing diversity and inclusion.

Board member Frank Conner III, the former chair of the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, is now the vice chair of the Executive Committee. The change has not significantly impacted Martin’s role within the committee, he said.

“I provide the information necessary and hope that the Board of Visitors will react to it in a positive fashion and do the right things,” Martin said.

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