EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/ AFFIRMATIVE ACTION INITIATIVES
Increasing Faculty, Staff and Women
In February 2006, Chancellor MacCormack reported on the campus strategies and plans are in place to address the UMass strategic priority, Continuing a Focus on Diversity and Positive Climate. UMass Dartmouth’s report focused on strategies and plans to increase faculty, staff and student diversity; to increase community awareness of diversity issues; and to foster a campus climate that values diversity.
The faculty, staff and student community at UMass Dartmouth should reflect the profile of the Commonwealth. It should provide a rich array of role models for our students, as well as, prepare them for leadership roles in a global community. To effectively meet these goals, we focused attention on:
- Improving the process of recruiting faculty and staff by:
- Enhancing the institution’s ability to recruit and hire qualified, diverse individuals;
- Broadening the group of faculty and staff who assume leadership and responsibility in the colleges and administrative units for enhancing our campus diversity; and
- Improving, monitoring, and compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, as well as, policies and procedures enacted by the Board of Trustee’s, the President, or the Chancellor.
- Increasing the number of minority faculty and staff recruited and hired each year.
To accomplish these two objectives, hiring procedures were reviewed to streamline and improve the process. The Office of EODO revised and updated the UMass Dartmouth’s Procedures and Policies for Recruitment, Selection and Hiring Guidelines, October 2006. The guidelines will be reviewed during the course of the year and changes will be made in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources.
The roles of the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Outreach (EODO) were clarified; and some EEO functions were decentralized to give each vice chancellor’s area and colleges more responsibility. EEO liaisons were identified, recruited, and trained for each College. A process was established for identifying which searches were positions of opportunity. A bid was instituted to better select search consultants for key administrative leadership positions.
It has also institutionalized the EEO liaisons for all colleges and administrative units in the University. Each administrative unit and college has been assigned more responsibility and involvement in the University’s efforts to conduct fair, equitable and legal searches. The procedures are actively used by the EEO liaisons, the chairs and members of the search committees, and administrators alike allowing for a shift in attitude and culture with respect to diversifying the campus faculty and staff. As of May 2007, there are approximately twenty (20) EEO Liaisons campus-wide. These liaisons are trained and charged in how to conduct effective and legal searches.
The University has given special attention to recruit minorities, women and other protected class individuals in job categories in which they were found to be underutilized. When job categories are underutilized and when they become vacant, they are classified as “positions of opportunity”. This determination is based on workforce and labor force data, knowledge of the vacancy, and the mission of the institution. “Positions of opportunity” are institutional job vacancies that require that the appropriate appointing authority and the EODO make a concerted good-faith effort to increase the diversity of applicant pools, interview pools and new hires. A joint recruitment plan is developed and they will also agree to a closer level of monitoring during the search process for these designated positions. Institutionalizing this process is still subject to modifications as we become more experienced in implementing it. Nonetheless, it has continued to elicit positive change and results.
Adding diversity to our faculty and staff profile is continuing. For example, recruiting in the current academic year for AY 07-08, the University has successfully hired to date 14 new staff members of color which include the newly appointed Ombudsman and the Executive Assistant to the Chancellor. There are still other searches in progress, of which several are for key leadership positions such as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, the Director of Athletics, as well as, three (3) deans (College of Engineering, College of Visual and Performing Arts, and Library Services).
The University has also increased its capacity to collect, organize, and analyze data on faculty and staff by using Criterion Affirmative Action Management Software (CAAMS). We also have reaffirmed diversity and access in our strategic plan update. In the coming year, specific plans and actions will be delineated with appropriate benchmarks to further improve the process and increase diversity among our faculty and staff.
The Chancellor’s Affirmative Action Advisory Committee, constituted of members representing all collective bargaining units and administration, is charged with advising the Chancellor on strategies and actions that the campus should undertake to effectively accomplish its aspirations to be an inclusive and diverse community of learners.
The Human Resources/Equal Employment Opportunity (HR/EEO) Team, composed of the Associate Chancellor, the Director of Human Resources, the Assistant Chancellor for Equal Opportunity, Diversity & Outreach, and on occasion appropriate members of the University staff, meet to discuss and develop a plan of action concerning matters that come to the attention of HR/EEO. The HR/EEO Team has dealt with a variety of issues important to both areas.
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth People of Color Think Tank (POCTT), comprised of individuals from the University and the region, will examine selected urban policies affecting people of color in the South Coast region and assess the impact of these policies on us. In an attempt to help inform and influence public policy debate and policy formulation, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth People of Color Think Tank will issue commentaries and propose strategies or initiatives to maximize the positive impact of such policies.
The primary areas of concern for the Think Tank are to increase educational access, decrease drop out rates, and increase opportunity for people of color, particularly with regard to college and university enrollment, retention, and graduation. However, since many social, economic, health, mental health, and other factors affect educational access and opportunity; these factors may also be subjects for further examination.
