Recommendation 2: Increase the number of BIPOC and other underrepresented groups of faculty at Trinity

Recommendation 2: Increase the number of BIPOC and other underrepresented groups of faculty at Trinity.

Rationale:

If Trinity University is serious about their commitment to faculty diversity, and if the university wants to move beyond empty rhetoric to real action and progress that changes statistics and transforms the institutional culture, it must make a concerted effort to educate and hold accountable everyone who serves on the search committee. As Turner (2002) contends, “a solid foundation for campus faculty diversity can be laid by search committee processes—processes which not only reflect the larger institutional commitment to diversity but which, also, serves as occasions for serious campus reflection on the barriers to recruitment and retention of faculty of color,” (p. 28) and other underrepresented groups.

Since faculty both educate and serve as mentors to Trinity students as well as serve as mentors for other faculty, any efforts to create, support, and retain a diverse faculty can go a long way toward improving the campus climate by broadening the range of what is taught in the classroom and by enriching the experiences of all students, faculty and staff. These efforts should begin with the recognition that past hiring practices—including practices that have given preference to degrees from specific schools and Trinity alums—may have excluded well-qualified candidates whose background or identity marked them as different from the dominant department or campus culture.

In 2018, Academic Affairs created “Expectations for Conducting Fair, Equitable and Lawful Faculty Searches at Trinity University,” a document that outlines a process that academic departments are required to follow in an effort to equitably and legally recruit and hire diverse faculty on the tenure track. The extent to which these guidelines are being followed, however, is inconsistent. Many faculty have not unlearned to employ equitable processes as part of the search committees and many continue to consciously or unconsciously recruit and hire candidates simply because they feel comfortable with them and may have had a shared experience. It is therefore incumbent upon Academic Affairs to assess whether the guidelines as currently written effectively achieve Trinity’s diversity and inclusion goals. Academic Affairs should also create similar guidelines for the hiring of contingent faculty, a category of faculty not currently covered by the document.

Stakeholders: Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, Board of Trustees

Recommended Actions Performance Indicators Responsible Parties

Direct Institutional Research and Effectiveness to gather, analyze, and disseminate data regarding the demographic composition of the faculty in each academic department of the University. Demographic report is completed and provided to the VPAA. Vice President for Academic Affairs, Executive Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness

Charge Academic Affairs with assessing and refining the document titled, “Expectations for Conducting Fair, Equitable and Lawful Faculty Searches at Trinity University” with guidelines that ensure they align with the recommendations of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.

Constitute an ad hoc committee in Academic Affairs to develop guidelines for contingent faculty searches, in consultation with HR and the University’s General Counsel.

Require Academic Affairs to develop an assessment method for evaluating department adherence to “Expectations for Conducting Fair, Equitable and Lawful Faculty Searches at Trinity University.” Document updated to align with Diversity and Inclusion Task Force Recommendations.

Guideline document is completed, approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and disseminated to all department chairs.

Assessment method developed, implemented and findings shared. Vice President for Academic Affairs, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs: Curriculum and Faculty

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs: Curriculum and Faculty, Human Resources, General Counsel

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs: Curriculum and Faculty, Executive Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness

Suggested Timeline:

● A demographic analysis of Trinity University faculty should be completed by the end of the summer 2021. ● Assessment of the “Expectations for Conducting Fair, Equitable and Lawful Faculty

Searches at Trinity University” guidelines should be an updated and complete document later disseminated to department chairs by the end of the FY21. ● Guidelines for hiring contingent faculty should be completed by the end of the FY21. ● Assessment method for evaluating department adherence to “Expectations for

Conducting Fair, Equitable and Lawful Faculty Searches at Trinity University” should be completed, approved and implemented for the summer of 2021.