The University is closer to its goal of hiring more female and minority faculty members, University Provost Gene Block told the Board of Visitors Friday.
His report indicated a 2 percent increase in full-time female faculty members -- 27 to 29 percent since 1998. The percentage of African-American faculty members has remained at 3 percent.
Karen Ryan, associate College dean for the arts, humanities and social sciences, said the University seeks a more diverse faculty to enhance the educational experience and provide students with role models.
"If students never see anyone like them in front of the classroom, that is an alienating experience," Ryan said.
University Rector Gordon F. Rainey said the Board's belief in the benefits of a diverse educational atmosphere prompted the Board to accelerate the hiring of female and minority professors.
"I was very encouraged by what we're doing," Rainey said. "Our Board is very committed [to the initiative]. I expect to have very good results."
Ryan said some departments have better representation of females and minorities than other departments because some areas attract more female and minority candidates.
"We know when we go looking for physics professors, for example, there are a tinier number of women than in another area such as art history," she said.
The University's initiative to recruit more females and minorities involves actively searching for those candidates.
"I think we need to be proactive," Ryan said. "We need to be creative. It is true that it is more of a challenge, but that does not mean we should give up."
While the University is aggressively searching for female and minority hires, Ryan said the University is not seeking to hire candidates simply because they are women or minorities.
"We need to find the very best people for the positions," Ryan said. "We want excellence and diversity. These are not separate, they go together."
The number of female and minority professors at the University is comparable to the number of female and minority professors at other schools in the University's peer group, Ryan said.
"Our numbers are not bad, but that does not mean we are where we want to be," Ryan said.
While female faculty members are represented in assistant professor positions, women are underrepresented in tenured positions, Ryan said.
"We are focusing on retention and promotion," Ryan said. "We need to make it possible for women to succeed here."
University President John T. Casteen, III and Block have been crucial in recruiting female and minority candidates, Ryan said.
"They have allowed us to make a number of opportunity hires we would not normally have been able to give," she said. "They have also helped us put together more attractive offers. Hiring women and minorities who are highly marketable is an expensive business."
As the University hires more female and minority professors, Ryan said the University must change to accommodate a more diverse atmosphere.
"We need to foster a welcoming climate so that the new professors feel more comfortable," Ryan said. "That is a complex issue, not a money issue."
Academia tends to deter female professors because of the time commitment and pressure to achieve tenure, Ryan said.
"We can rethink tenure, for example," Ryan said. "Do we have to require tenure in six years? That is something we can think about. That would make being a professor not so daunting."
Looking toward the future, Ryan said the University can cultivate potential female and minority professors.
"We need to do our part to foster graduate programs so that undergraduates can have careers in any area no matter who they are," Ryan said. "We can feed the pipeline."
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