(Counter)narratives and Complexities: Critical Perspectives From a University Cluster Hire Focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Abstract

Topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion continue to be accepted yet highly debated issues on college campuses. Seemingly, hiring of diverse faculty is a priority that many college campuses attempt without much regard to the organizational mechanisms which provide faculty of color support for success. One School of Education in a western land grant institution embarked on a cluster hiring process that centered diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of their position priorities. Using critical race theory, this paper provides (counter)narratives to unearth and understand the complexities of hiring diverse faculty in a cluster hire process. Discussion and recommendations are provided for future practice.

Moving Beyond a Culture of Niceness in Faculty Hiring to Advance Racial Equity

“…To date, researchers have identified practices that can increase the odds of hiring a racially minoritized faculty member, including strategic placement of advertisements in targeted journals and list-serves (Gasman, Kim, & Nguyen, 2011; Phillips, 2004), creating unique hiring positions through postdoctoral fellowships and hiring the doctoral candidates (Kelly, Gayles, & Williams, 2017; Phillips, 2004; Smith et al, 2004), organizing racially minoritized faculty lecture series and using personal networks for recruitment purposes (Gasman et al, 2011), incorporating diversity descriptors in job announcements (Smith et al, 2004), and employing cluster hires (Kelly et al, 2017; Muñoz et al, 2017). In their review of the literature on racially minoritized faculty, Turner, González, and Wood (2008) recommended that college and university leaders create diversity goals; advocate for faculty diversity; train staff, faculty, and administration on the specific issues racially minoritized faculty face in the workplace; and align their campus diversity efforts with disciplinary departmental diversity efforts.…”

Role conflict: How search committee chairs negotiate faculty status, diversity, and equity in faculty searches.

“…Scholars argue that higher education institutions need to develop specific equity-minded trainings to improve institutional policies and practices for hiring diverse candidates (Gasman et al, 2011; Malcom-Piqueux & Bensimon, 2017; Muñoz et al, 2017; Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2017). Yet, if higher education leaders continue to support colorblind discourse, the efforts being made to diversify the professoriate will produce lackluster results.…”

Sustaining Personal Activism: Behavior Analysts as Antiracist Accomplices

“…Those of us who publish in the field and prepare preservice behavior analysts and other professionals can highlight the work of BIPOC scholars in our writing and teaching; embed culture, diversity, and antiracism content into Behavior Analyst Certification Board course sequences; and work with colleagues to improve recruitment and retention of students from traditionally marginalized and underrepresented groups. Within our organizations, we can actively seek to create ethnically and racially diverse work environments by instituting policies to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring practices (e.g., advocating for cluster hires of BIPOC faculty; Akpapuna et al, 2020 ; Muñoz et al, 2017 ). We can also work to support our BIPOC colleagues by providing mentoring opportunities and working to create inclusive environments that are free from microaggressions (Fong et al, 2017 ).…”