In academia, perspective can be everything.
People of different backgrounds often have very different takes and very different ways of approaching their fields. Variety of experience in a subject keeps scholarship fresh and original.
As more members of minority groups have joined university faculties over the past few decades, entirely new fields of scholarship, including African-American Studies and American Civilization, have been introduced, while nearly every other area of knowledge has been revolutionized by the influx of new ideas and opinions.
This makes the fact that less than 13 percent of all Penn professors are black, Latino or Asian particularly disturbing. Still more disappointing is that this number has grown only at a very small rate over the last 10 years.
That said, it is encouraging that the University recognizes that there is a problem and seems committed to solving it.
Yesterday, the Minority Equity Committee met for the first time. Created by President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi in the wake of last semester's Faculty Gender Equity Study report, the group will investigate minority representation on the faculty and issues such as minority promotions and salaries, much the same way the Gender Equity Committee looked into those issues regarding female professors.
Though we are pleased with the University's decision to seriously review the state of minority faculty at Penn, it is important that the committee's work leads to real changes and measurable improvement.
The Gender Equity Study found that there are far more women on the Penn faculty today than there were 30 years ago, but that the percentage of female professors has more or less remained the same for the last five years. In the months since, the University has not taken any substantive step toward addressing the committee's findings.
When the Minority Equity Committee does release its report, Penn must use its conclusions to actually improve the situation. Simply identifying the problem is not nearly enough.
