I write to underscore the important work to be done across higher education to increase the diversity of faculty who teach our students and prepare them for the workforce and future academic pursuits. We all stand to benefit from more faculty who reflect the diversity of our student body (”Black and Hispanic faculty underrepresented in Maryland public universities, data system shows,” Oct. 26).
One way we’re working to address this at the University of Maryland is through a $40 million investment to increase faculty diversity and add over 100 new tenured and tenure-track faculty across campus.
But this is not an issue that can be solved by recruitment alone. I agree with University of Pennsylvania Vice Provost Laura Perna that faculty of color often take on work that doesn’t fit into academia’s standard promotion metrics. At our institution and many across the country, our values around collaboration, diversity, equity and inclusion and public service are not always reflected in traditional promotion and reward systems. Listen to this article.