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Dr. John Harris called the meeting to order. Minutes of the October 26, 2005, meeting were reviewed and approved. Rosetta Sandidge volunteered to record minutes for this meeting. Dean Cibulka suggested that members assume responsibility for taking minutes on a rotating basis and sign up for respective monthly meetings.

Dr. Harris distributed copies of the UK Strategic Plan and led discussion on Goal 5 which focuses on diversity. While discussing the indicators related to recruitment of minority faculty and students, task force members discussed the development of a set of diversity guidelines for recruitment of faculty and students in the college. The group brainstormed the names of resource personnel from other institutions, e.g., the University of Georgia, the University of Virginia, Ohio State University, and the University of Michigan, who could consult with us on the development of these guidelines.

Dr. Harris reported on the research literature and best practices related to successful recruitment of minority faculty. Indicators that attract faculty candidates include a strong institutional commitment to diversity, mentoring that pairs students and faculty from the same racial group, a strong support system for minority students and faculty, peer mentors for students, student involvement in student recruitment, and institutional honesty (i.e., Where is the institution currently on issues related to diversity? Where does the institution want to be?). The issues of overloading junior faculty with student mentees, identifying specific strategies for recruitment of diverse faculty, and communicating the institutional commitment to diversity were also discussed. Dean Cibulka reported that the deans have asked Central Administration for greater financial incentives to assist units with faculty recruitment. In the past, the President’s Office has provided one year of salary for new hires; the salary is then covered by the college base budget in succeeding years.

Dr. Eric Anderman led a discussion on graduate student recruitment. He conducted a review of admissions criteria in graduate programs and found many inconsistencies across programs. Some programs have no mention of a diversity focus and no statement of welcome to minority applicants in the application materials. Dr. Anderman reported that all programs require the GRE but only KHP specifies cut scores on the exam. It was noted that certificate-only programs in special education have not required the GRE, and a concern about the impact of a GRE requirement on the candidate pool in these programs was expressed. Dean Cibulka indicated a need to find more holistic criteria for program admission. He reported that Dr. Sonja Feist-Price was working with the Graduate School regarding more flexibility at the program level.

Dean Cibulka reported that he has spoken with Dr. Lucian Yates, dean of the College of Education at Kentucky State University, regarding possible collaboration between the two institutions. Possible areas for collaboration include recruitment of graduate students from KSU and employment of adjunct faculty. Dean Cibulka will arrange for a meeting with Dr. Yates and Dr. Anderman to further explore these collaborations.

Dean Cibulka announced that he has invited Dr. Etta Hollins from the University of Southern California to serve as a consultant for the college in the area of diversity. He is working with her to plan for two days of professional development for faculty in early March. More details regarding the visit will be forthcoming. Task force members also suggested possible lecturers and/or workshops for the faculty retreat in fall 2006.

Dean Cibulka encouraged task force members to attend the annual meeting of the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education to be held in Chicago from May 30 through June 4, 2006. The Dean’s Office will cover travel expenses to the conference for individuals interested in attending. Drs. Markowitz, Tyler, Anderman, and Harris expressed interest in attending the conference. More information will be forthcoming.

Dates for future meetings of the task force are scheduled for February 15, March 22, and April 26 from 9:00-10:30 a.m. The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Rosetta F. Sandidge