Recommendations for Faculty Recruitment and Retention

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

Recruitment:

- Despite current economic constraints, it is of utmost importance that the university leadership will continue the efforts to recruit world-class scholars and high profile leaders from diverse backgrounds to our university. The University of Michigan is a leader in the effort to create a truly democratic institution of higher education. We recommend that the president and provost persist in taking the lead and being actively involved in recruiting highly visible faculty that bring diversity to their units to model the type of behavior they expect from all organizational units.

- In order to encourage the continuation of broad based efforts for the recruitment of outstanding scholars from underrepresented backgrounds in the different organizational units in this university, we recommend that the university leadership will continue to provide resources and offer an incentive structure that supports all such efforts.

- “Faculty hire faculty”, as former Provost Whitaker pointed out. Assuming that our faculty is acutely aware of the benefit and value of bringing diverse expertise to our university, it seems crucial to provide faculty members on search committees with the support they need to (a) identify outstanding job candidates from diverse backgrounds, and (b) allow them to gain a clear understanding of how to optimally motivate and encourage these faculty members to be attracted to our university. Given the expertise of some of our senior administrators such as Dr. Monts, we recommend putting a support structure in place that would brief any search committee on the ways their search could be sensitive to achieving diversity in their applicant pool thus allowing them to hire stellar faculty members from diverse backgrounds.

- Without solid empirical information about the status of recruitment efforts, it is difficult for any department chair or dean to assess progress. We therefore recommend that at the beginning of every academic year, a status report about all recruitment efforts during the previous academic year will be distributed to all deans and chairs. This report should summarize all recruitment efforts broken down by schools and departments. By providing information about the percentage of male / female persons from different ethnic / racial backgrounds who applied for a position, were interviewed, received offers, and were hired during any given academic year, departmental comparisons are possible, and an open discussion can develop based on this information.

Retention:

- Mentoring programs should be available in all organizational units. Junior faculty (particularly women and minorities) should have a senior mentor who provides regular feedback and advice for how to create successful promotion packages. Tenured faculty in early stages of their careers should have opportunities to receive feedback from more senior tenured faculty and administrators for their career development. Mentoring takes time and effort. It is therefore recommended to assure that mentoring efforts are recognized and rewarded.

- Information about persons and networks providing social support should be created to allow faculty to optimally utilize the rich personal resources available at the University of Michigan. Being able to connect with other professionals with similar backgrounds and / or career goals and sharing expertise is likely to enhance faculty members’ quality of life and professional success at all levels of career development. This information should be created and provided to incoming faculty members as well as to faculty members at points of career transitions (such as when receiving tenure).

- Structural analyses (such as pay and space equity studies) should be conducted on a regular basis to assure that structural factors do not put faculty members at a disadvantage. Assuring that resources are available to allow all faculty members to live up to their potentials is important.