Career Consultants - Letter to the Editor

DEAR BI CAREER CONSULTANTS:

The only minority faculty member in my department has announced plans to move on. How can I press for the need to replace the position with another minority?

EARL G. INGRAM Vice President and Equity Officer University Equity Office George Mason University Fairfax, Va.

This answer must be prefaced by saying that unless the university embraces diversity as a part of its overall mission to educate and prepare students for a more global society, pressing for the replacement of a departing minority faculty member with another minority faculty member might be difficult. The university and department must recognize that preparing students for an era in which, at home and abroad, interaction with non-White and non-European cultures will be increasingly more frequent and important. In short, the university and department must be committed to the notion that a diverse faculty promotes the robust exchange of ideas and enriches the academic experience for all students.

Ergo, I would press for the need for a minority replacement by stressing the importance of preparing the students for the unique requirements necessary for working and living in the 21st century. I also would volunteer my efforts to seek out and recruit other qualified minority applicants, talk to my colleagues and ask their help in making diversity an issue of importance for the department and enlist the assistance of the Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action officer.

Finally, I would contact my professional association for help in tapping into minority caucuses that can identify qualified minority candidates. Qualified minority candidates must be recruited using the same vigorous efforts and methods employed to recruit White candidates.

DR. ROBERT W. ETHRIDGE Associate Vice President Equal Opportunity Programs Emory University Atlanta

The hiring process for faculty is collegial. Hence, there is a significant amount of communication among the faculty about the needs of the department -- both academically and socially.

Because of the significant level of interaction, I would encourage my colleagues individually and at the planning meetings before the search to seriously consider the contributions my departing colleague made to the department. I would advise the department to search widely to find a replacement that brings a rich perspective to the deliberations of the department. Also, I would point out how valuable my departing colleague's perspective was to discussions about curricular and student matters.

I would encourage my colleagues to advertise in publications that reach minority audiences in addition to directing special attention to institutions that graduate minority students in the same discipline as my colleague. I'd urge them to keep the search open until we were certain we had a diverse applicant pool. And I would ask my departing colleague to spread the word through the informal network in the discipline that her/his line will be open and that the search for a minority candidate's is serious.

I also would point out to my colleagues that word of mouth advertising is the most effective way to recruit; therefore, if each of them spreads the word, in addition to accessing the usual recruiting sources, the likelihood of finding and attracting well qualified candidates -- including minorities -- will be increased.

Last, but not least, I would confer with the staff of the affirmative action (equity, diversity) office to seek their assistance in identifying non-traditional recruiting sources and strategies to enhance the likelihood of success.

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Please send querries to Black Issues Career Cnsultats, Attn: Joan Morgan 10520 Warwick Ave., Suite B-8 Fairfax, VA. 22030 or E-mail: joan@cmabiccw.com

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