When Penn established a Minority Equity Committee in 2002, it hoped to achieve significant progress in minority representation in its faculty. A 2005 report measuring the committee’s progress concluded that there were “clearly too few minority faculty at Penn.”
After another five years, a progress report published last December found an increase in minority faculty of just 3 percentage points across the University since 2002. Some schools have even seen a decline.
We believe that the current proportion is still inadequate. A major reason for the lack of substantial improvement may lie in Penn’s failure to establish explicit, actionable plans and measures of accountability.
Penn should look to Brown University’s 2007 Diversity Initiatives Status Report as an example. The report clearly delineates specific objectives, actions already taken to achieve them, detailed recommendations and the administrative positions responsible for their success. It should come as no surprise that, in 2007, Brown ranked first among Ivy League schools in the percentage of faculty who are black or Hispanic.
The best way for Penn to advance the cause of equity in its faculty is to adopt a similarly specific and unambiguous plan to increase minority representation. The administration should not be satisfied with the status quo.
How do you think the University can increase minority representation in its faculty? Send us a letter to the editor: letters@theDP.com.
