Recruiting for Academic Administrative Diversity

1. Position Description

• Experience working with diverse student, faculty, staff populations is required or desired.
• Duties include developing/implementing strategic diversity initiatives related to faculty, staff and/or students.
• General information about the college/university highlights the importance of diversity in defining excellence in programs

2. Qualification Criteria, i.e., the determination of whether applicants meet the advertised qualifications is one of the most important issues in achieving diversity

• Criteria determined prior to evaluating applications; criteria uniformly applied.
• Multiple avenues for demonstrating excellence.
• Traditional – full professor rank with tenure; previous administrative experience, especially line administrative experience rather than staff administrative experience, experience in very specific disciplines; experience with comparable program size/university.
• Other – associate professor with tenure; broad definition of administrative experience, evidence of transferable experience/skills; experience with different types of programs/university structures/sizes.
• Evaluate criteria to determine hidden discrimination.
• Assess whether sending consistent messages to potential applicants.
• Assess whether types or levels of experience are truly accessible and necessary for the position.

3. Recruiting Strategies

• Exchange programs between administrators at different universities.
• Invitations for lectures or consulting engagements.
• Targeted or focused recruitment.

4. Recruitment Sources

• Discipline specific journals, Web sites, listservs.
• Black Issues in Higher Education.
• Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.
• Women’s and minority caucuses/committees within national associations.
• Women in Higher Education.
• Personal contacts.