1

Faculty and Staff Diversification Plan

University of Hawai`i at Hilo

2007-08

Rationale

We live in an increasing multi-cultural, global society. In order for the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH) to remain a relevant contributor to higher education, as well as a vital contributor to workforce development, it must place a high priority on the diversification of its students, faculty, staff, and administrators so as to draw on the full spectrum of the most vibrant talent available.

The University of Hawai`i at Hilo (UH Hilo) takes a broad and inclusive view of diversity. Diversity broadly encompasses the mixture of similarities and differences along many dimensions, including: race and ethnicity, gender, age, religion, physical and cognitive abilities, and sexual orientation. It includes values, cultures, concepts, beliefs, learning styles and perceptions that individuals possess. UH Hilo believes that diversity is about creating an equitable, hospitable, inviting, appreciative, safe, and inclusive campus environment -- one that embraces the full spectrum of all University community members’ contributions.

A growing body of research indicates that campus diversity positively impacts student learning outcomes, including intellectual motivation, cognitive development and academic skills (Gurin, 1999; Light, 2001). Campus diversity also helps to prepare students as employees in working in multi-cultural organizations and as citizens living in a multi-cultural global society (Smith, 1997; State of Illinois, 2003). Diverse faculty bring with them unique experiences, perspectives, and teaching strategies that provide students with access to a broader body of pedagogy and a more varied pool of mentors (Gurin, Dey, Gurin, & Hurtado, 2003; Smith & Moreno, 2006).

UH Hilo believes that diversity in all its dimensions must be valued. Where there is diversity, there is evidence of openness, emergence of inclusiveness, promotion of open discourse and dialogue, and a respect and appreciation for differences. Where there is diversity, there is a multiplicity of people, cultures, and ideas that contribute to the richness and variety of life.

Diversity at UH Hilo

UH Hilo takes great pride in the diversity of its student body. The university has long been recognized as one of the nation’s most diversified campuses[1]. As reflected in Table 1, the UH Hilo campus student population is a healthy mix of Asians, Caucasians, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other ethnic groups.

Table 1

Diversity of Students, 2007

Ethnicity / STUDENTS
Asian / 31.0%
Chinese / (2.0%)
Filipino / (5.0%)
Japanese / (11.7%)
Korean / (2.2%)
Other Asian / (3.5%)
Pacific Islander / (6.5%)
Caucasian / 37.1%
Native Hawaiian / 16.5%
Other / 15.6%
African American / (1.2%)
Hispanic / (2.7%)
Native American / (.8%)
Other / (10.9%)

UH Hilo aspires to achieve the same level of diversity among its faculty, staff, and administrators. As Table 2 illustrates, the campus population of faculty, staff, and administrators currently does not reflect the same ethnic diversity of its student population. 66% of the staff and administration positions (Administrative Professional and Technical, Non-teaching Faculty, Executive/Management) across various gender and ethnic categories are underrepresented in comparison to the student population, and 72% of the faculty positions (Lecturers, Instructors, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Professors) across the same gender and ethnic categories are underrepresented in comparison to the student population. Most noticeable are the under-representation of women at the APT, E/M, Associate Professor, and Professor levels; the under-representation of Asians at all faculty ranks; the under-representation of Native Hawaiians at the Instructor, Associate Professor, and Professor ranks; and the over-representation of Caucasians at all faculty ranks.

Table 2

Disparities by Ethnicity and Gender

Type / %
Women / %
Asian / %
Caucasian / %
Native Hawaiian / %
Other
Students / 60.3% / 31.0% / 37.1% / 16.5% / 15.6%
APT
PD:[2] / 49.5%
(-10.8%) / 45.1%
(+14.1%) / 28.8%
(+8.3%) / 21.6%
(+5.1%) / 4.5%
(-11.1%)
NF
PD: / 63.6%
(+3.3%) / 30.4%
(-0.6%) / 39.5%
(-2.4%) / 15.1%
(-1.5%) / 15.0%
(-0.6%)
CS / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A
E/M
PD: / 44.4%
(-15.9%) / 38.7%
(+7.7%) / 44.5%
(-7.4%) / 11.2%
(-5.3%) / 5.6%
(-10%)
Lecturers
PD: / 57.8%
(-2.5%) / 19.3%
(-11.7%) / 57.8%
(+20.7%) / 20.5%
(+4.0%) / 2.4%
(-13.2%)
Instructors
PD: / 59.3%
(-1.0%) / 14.8%
(-16.2%) / 77.8%
(+40.7%) / 3.7%
(-12.8%) / 3.7%
(-11.9%)
Asst. Prof.
PD: / 57.3%
(-3.0%) / 20%
(-11.0%) / 62.7%
(+25.6%) / 18.9%
(+2.4%) / 1.3%
(-14.3%)
Assoc. Prof.
PD : / 34.7%
(-25.7%) / 24.5%
(-6.5%) / 67.3%
(+30.2%) / 0%
(-16.5%) / 8.2%
(-7.4%)
Professors
PD: / 20%
(-40.3%) / 21.7%
(-9.3%) / 73.3%
(+36.2%) / 0%
(-16.5%) / 5%
(-10.6%)

Our present task is to develop an institutional strategy to bring the ethnic and gender representation of our faculty, administrators, and staff into closer alignment with the ethnic and gender representation of our multi-cultural student body by promoting the hiring and retention of Opportunity Hires, which over time will bring the composition the UHH faculty, administration, and staff into a proportional alignment with the current UHH student population. The objective is to create an environment of higher learning that embraces and supports the culture of diversity at every level.

Diversity Efforts Since 2002

Current efforts at UH Hilo to diversify its faculty, staff, and administrators have yielded mixed results. Table 3 provides a comparison between Fall 2002 and Fall 2007 of employee distribution across women, Caucasian, Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Others categories. Percentage increases for women were evidenced only for the E/M (41.2% vs. 44.4%), Assistant Professor (40.7% vs. 57.3%), and Associate Professor ( 31.6% vs. 34.7%) categories. Percentage increases for Asians were found for APTs (65.6% vs. 66.7%), E/Ms (35.3% vs. 49.9%), Lecturers (38.8% vs. 39.8%), Instructors (15% vs. 18.5%), and Assistant Professors (24.1% vs. 36%). Percentage increases for Native Hawaiians occurred for APTs (18.3% vs. 21.6%), Non-teaching Faculty (14.3% vs. 15.1%), E/Ms (5.9% vs. 11.2%), Lecturers (13.4% vs. 20.5%), Instructors (0% vs. 3.7%), and Assistant Professors (11.2% vs. 16%). Percentage decreases for Caucasians were found for APTs (32.2% vs. 28.8%), E/Ms (58.8% vs. 44.5%), Lecturers (59.7% vs. 57.8%), Instructors (85% vs. 77.8%), and Assistant Professor (66.7% vs. 62.7%).

Table 3

Fall 2002 vs. Fall 2007

Employee Type / 2002
% WOMEN / 2002 % CAU / 2002 %
AS / 2002
%
NH / 2002
%
Other / 2007
%
WOMEN / 2007
%
CAU / 2007
%
AS / 2007
%
NH / 2002
%
Other
APT / 49.5% / 32.2% / 65.6% / 18.3% / 3.3% / 49.5% / 28.8% / 66.7% / 21.6% / 4.5%
NF / 71.4% / 35.7% / 64.3% / 14.3% / 0 / 63.6% / 39.5% / 45.5% / 15.1% / 15.0%
CS / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A
E/M / 41.2% / 58.8% / 35.3% / 5.9% / 5.9% / 44.4% / 44.5% / 49.9% / 11.2% / 5.6%
Lecturers / 65.7% / 59.7% / 38.8% / 13.4% / 1.5% / 57.8% / 57.8% / 39.8% / 20.5% / 2.4%
Instructors / 60.0% / 85% / 15% / 0 / 0 / 59.3% / 77.8% / 18.5% / 3.7% / 3.7%
Asst. Prof / 40.7% / 66.7% / 24.1% / 11.2% / 9.3% / 57.3% / 62.7% / 36% / 16% / 1.3%
Assoc. Prof / 31.6% / 63.2% / 31.6% / 7.9% / 5.3% / 34.7% / 67.3% / 24.5% / 0 / 8.2%
Prof / 25% / 67.3% / 30.8% / 3.8% / 1.9% / 20% / 73.3% / 21.7% / 0 / 5%

Immediate Action Steps

Due to the geographic isolation of UH Hilo, it is important for UH Hilo to adopt a more aggressive strategic plan for improving faculty, staff and administration diversity. This plan involves the following immediate action steps:

  • UH Hilo will work with the State Legislature and the UH System to create a pool of at least fifty (50) permanent positions reserved specifically for opportunity hires to enhance faculty and staff diversification.
  • UH Hilo will work with the State Legislature to create a special fund of at least one million dollars ($1,000,000) to support opportunity hires to enhance faculty and staff diversification.[3]
  • UH Hilo will encourage departments in its five colleges to explore possibilities for adding members of underrepresented minority groups to their faculty. In fields where women are underrepresented, UHH asks that departments be alert to opportunities for attracting outstanding women to the faculty.
  • If a department has located a prospective faculty member of high caliber who would present an extraordinary opportunity to enhance diversity, the department chair will contact the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs via the dean of his/her college to request permission to pursue the recruitment. The request is more likely to be approved if the department has a compelling need to enlarge its faculty.
  • The UHH also encourages the use of visiting appointments to provide opportunities for the career development of underrepresented minorities, as well as of women in those fields where they are underrepresented. UHH also encourages the recruitment of underrepresented minorities and women for distinguished visiting professorships, with an eye toward possible longer-term appointment.

Long-term Strategy

While hiring underrepresented faculty through the mechanism of “Opportunity Hires” can help to resolve the current discrepancy on ethnicity and gender between faculty and students at UH Hilo, a longer term strategy is needed. Specifically, we need to cultivate doctoral graduates with roots in Hawaii who can become a part of the pool of underrepresented faculty applicants. Individuals with roots in Hawaii are more likely to apply for faculty positions at UH Hilo and have long-term tenure as a professor at UH Hilo. Below are two recommendations in this strategy.

1. UH Hilo should actively foster mentoring relationships between faculty and students, especially those who have been identified during the first year at UH Hilo of having the abilities to be successful in graduate school. To this end, the following mechanism is recommended:

a.Using entrance applications as one source of data, identify incoming first-year students for inclusion in the “UH Hilo Graduate Scholars Program.”

b.Assign each student in the Program to faculty mentors (ideally two) who can provide mentorship for these students, with the goal being to steer these mentees toward graduate education. Ideally, the mentors will be in disciplines that are of the highest interest to the mentees.

c.Provide opportunities for students in the Program to gather at least once per semester to share with each other their various learning experiences and provide support for one another.

d.Provide academic counseling resources that can help the students to successfully apply to doctoral programs.

References

American Council on Education (2000). Does Diversity Make A Difference? Washington, DC: American Council on Education and American Association of University Professors.

Gurin, P. (1999). Expert report of Patricia Gurin. In, The compelling need for diversity in higher education, presented in Gratz, et al. v. Bollinger, et al. and Grutter, et al. v. Bollinger, et al. pp. 99-234. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan.

Gurin, P.Y., Dey, E.L., Gurin, G., & Hurtado, S. (2003). How does racial/ethnic diversity promote education? The Western Journal of Black Studies, 27(1), 20-29.

Light, R. (2001). Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

McTighe Musil, C., M. Garcia, C. Hudgins, M. Nettles, W. Sedlacek, and D. Smith. (1999). To Form A More Perfect Union: Campus Diversity Initiatives. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Smith, D., and Associates (1997). Diversity Works: The Emerging Picture of How Students Benefit. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Smith, D. & Moreno, J.F. (2006). Hiring the next generation of Professors: Will myths remain excuses? The Chronicle of Higher Education

[1] U.S. News and World Report ranks UH Hilo as the 7th most diversified university in the nation.

[2] “PD” refers to “parity differential” and reflects a comparison of data in the cell to comparable student data. A positive “PD” indicates over-representation; a negative “PD” indicates under-representation.

[3] Because high-quality opportunity hires are accomplished over an extended period of time, it is important that the positions and special fund are not subject to “sweeping” by the Legislature or the UH System.