Beginning to Build the Professoriate for the Future
Two years ago Drake University proposed our Quality Initiative, a project undertaken “to alter the University culture to ensure that people of all races and ethnicities find a welcoming and supportive environment at Drake University, and concomitantly to increase racial and ethnic diversity among Drake students, faculty and staff.” The climate survey conducted last spring, the report on that survey delivered in September, and the forums that followed to discuss and identify immediate action steps we can take (soon to be announced) are, of course, part of that initiative, as was the creation of the Crew Scholars program, now in its third successful year.

Another piece of the QI, one on which there has been less apparent movement, is the “professoriate of the future,” a commitment to “recruit, hire, mentor, and retain faculty of color, across the disciplines represented in the University.” I want to take a moment to make our efforts in this area more visible.

This year we are conducting 22 searches to recruit faculty to Drake University, most to fill positions opened by retirement or resignation, some for the new programs. Along with the deans and Catalyst—a group of faculty devoted to improving diversity recruitment—I wanted to make a more deliberate and concerted effort to attract and hire diverse applicants and thus increase racial and ethnic diversity on campus. Toward that end we have taken several small, but needed steps:

• In cooperation with Human Resources, we revised the Faculty Search Manual in two important ways. First, we updated the language in the EEO statements to ensure that advertisements are more welcoming and present Drake in a manner that will be attractive to diverse candidates. Second, we allowed the addition of a third finalist for campus visits (searches are currently restricted to two) if a compelling case can be made that an additional candidate will forward our goal of Drake becoming a more inclusive community. (In the 15 visits we have had so far, 5 were permitted to include a third candidate.)
•  I purchased a three-part self-paced training webinar on recruiting, hiring, and retaining diverse faculty and mandated that at least one member of each search committee complete the webinar.
• Representatives from Catalyst have met with the deans and with search committees prior to campus visits to discuss best practices.

These may seem small things, but they appear to be having an impact. Of the nine completed searches, three have resulted in diversity hires. In addition, since June I have approved converting two faculty of color in contingent positions to tenure-track lines. Of course, we have much more and serious work to do: improving our website to feature a page focused on the needs of a diverse prospective employee; develop a University-wide mentoring program for faculty; build better connections between the University and the community to provide a more welcoming and supportive environment; update and revise promotion and tenure policies; and, as the climate survey told us loud and clear, provide better training to all Drake students, faculty, and staff. For this very reason, the 2016 Learning Symposium will be devoted to the theme of “Inclusive Excellence” and will include an afternoon workshop on inclusivity training. An invitation to submit session proposals will be sent soon. This is an opportunity to join with others and make a real contribution to improving our working and learning environment.

Provost Mobile Office Hour
You can find me this week on Thursday, Feb. 18, 10–11:30 a.m., in the Cowles Library coffee shop. No appointments needed.

—Joe Lenz, Interim Provost