In an effort to recruit and hire more female and minority faculty members, the University is taking on a more active search procedure.
University spokesperson Carol Wood said the University already has had success with recruiting and hiring female and minority faculty members.
"This increase focus goes hand-in-hand with the President's Commission on Diversity and Equality," Wood said. "Together, this puts us on the right track."
Gertrude Fraser, vice president for faculty advancement, said the Search Committee currently is using an active search process to recruit diverse and qualified faculty members. As opposed to a passive search in which institutions place advertisements and wait for responses, the University's active search requires faculty members to make specific contacts with potential candidates.
"We invite Search Committee members to use their social network to encourage qualified candidates to apply," Fraser said. "It's hard because this is work that has to be done all the time."
Recruiting new faculty members is a responsibility all current faculty members hold, Fraser said. Faculty members are encouraged to seek out eligible candidates when attending various conferences and associational meetings.
"We need to raise the profile of the University, and to do that, we have to be out there," she said.
The concept of an active search for faculty members came out of discussions with University faculty, Fraser said.
"They emphasized the need for actively recruiting and really going the extra step in building a pool," she added.
Wood said the Search Committee also has observed the efforts at peer institutions to determine the best recruitment methods.
Fraser said the active search for faculty members is on a par with a larger University initiative to change the look of the University faculty.
"It's an overall institutional goal to find ways to diversify the faculty, like women in the sciences," Fraser said. "Diverse faculty will really strengthen the caliber of the institution and the experience of the faculty and the students."
Since the University is in competition with private institutions for qualified faculty members, active recruiting increases the University's ability to obtain faculty before other colleges and universities do, according to Fraser.
"When new Ph.D.s think about their next career move, we want them to think about U.Va.," Fraser said. Active recruiting "sows the seeds for attaining people in the next round."
Fraser said active searches will increase the caliber of the faculty.
"This is the next level of improvement," Fraser said "This is not a quick and dirty process. It is an incredible service the faculty does and something that does not get acknowledgement."
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