It’s worth it, Madeline Wake!

It really is worth the try. We can look at all the factors that can dissuade the pursuit of diversity on a university faculty but it’s at least worth it to try.

Thank you, Madeline Wake for at least giving minority candidates a shot. I agree that you shouldn’t higher less qualified individuals but making the effort to find one qualified minority candidate for each opening is welcome.

Few administrators are brave enough to stand up against the ridicule of the established educational authority. That’s why Madeline Wake deserves some credit for trying.

People can argue that it’s not fair but the truth is that if we are each honest about what is really fair we’ll have to start pointing fingers at ourselves.

Marquette University is commended for a valiant effort to give opportunities to qualified individuals who are many times overlooked.

Regards, Donnell Duncan, Founder and President, The Cracked Door, “If the Door is Cracked, the Door is Open!”

Donnell, Civil Engineering (Structures) Graduate at Georgia Instititute of Technology, at 8:30 am EDT on October 14, 2005

Why?

Why favor minority candidates by giving one a guaranteed spot amongst finalists? If a person is sufficiently unqualified that he or she would not otherwise make it to a final evaluation, why waste time reevaluating an underqualified candidate?

Kevin, Undergraduate, at 12:36 pm EDT on October 14, 2005

This means, essentially that searches are forced to interview candidates they feel would not make the final cut. If I was a minority scholar and I was invited to go to Marquette University for an interview, I would avoid it like a brothel, because I would know that there is a very high chance that the only reason I got the interview was because of this policy, and that my interviewers would know that I was the “affirmative action” candidate and would only take me seriously if they agreed with Wake’s policy (which, my guess is about half of them do).

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have a strong opinion on admissions affirmative action. Most of the people whining about it are white boys that couldn’t make the cut. But this form of affirmative action will probably end up backfiring.

If schools want to increase the number of minority scholars, they can make the school a more pleasant place for the scholars. They can *gasp* increase salaries. They can provide scholars with resources. Amazingly, when a school develops a reputation for high-quality facilities and adequate paychecks, minority scholars in just about every field come out of the woodwork, and the school doesn’t need to artificially include a minority scholar in every search.

Larry, at 12:37 pm EDT on October 14, 2005

One is not enough!

Yes there is a huge number of qualified African Americans and minorities candidates for employment in higher education. One is not enough; maybe it is symbolic gesture from Marquette University [there are 16 candidates, 1 is African American and the remaining are Caucasians – what chances does s/he have? Basic algebra] more would be fair.

In real world — the middle tier administrators exclude African Americans and minorities from the announced openings during the screening period [surprise – nepotism] this is not a new phenomenon – but no one hears about the candidates who were denied the opportunity.

The only place where African Americans and minorities advance on merits is in the military and athletic surprise the military is following Colin Powell doctrine – Desert Storm. Presently I jumped on the bandwagon and became a White Sox fan – why, because of the general manager is African American and their field manager is a minority.

It is clear African American and minorities are not given the opportunity especially in the higher education, even though there are numerous laws and affirmative actions that are on the books to address equality however the administrators are used to bend the laws but not to break them. Whether the remaining institutes would follow the lead of Marquette University-time will tell.

David Robertson, Professor at SUNY, at 1:08 pm EDT on October 14, 2005

The comments concerning Dr. Wake’s diversity mandate at Marquette reflect the reason that faculties across the country do not reflect the nation’s diversity. Her requirement, which is really a common sense statement (in effect: “In a group of 12 at least ONE of the candidates should be from a diverse group, just by rolling dice,") but we find countless reasons to find flaws in the requirement rather than living up to the spirit of the requirement. To find any list of 12 that is homogenous in our world would itself be a statistical anomaly that stretches credibility. Kudos to Dr. Wake for taking a stand.

Michael Class, at 3:21 pm EDT on October 14, 2005

Great news and Missed Points

As a Marquette History Department alumnus and a former Marquette employee, I’m very proud and relieved to hear that Dr. Wake has undertaken this policy. It was long overdue.

I would also argue some responders here have missed the point. First, Prof. Johnson writes: “...an early effect of a policy that Wake described as intended to prepare ‘leaders for the world’ will likely be that her History Department will hire not a professor who can teach these future ‘leaders for the world’ about the interaction between the US and the world, but someone who focuses on cultural studies.”

This seems to posit that someone who can teach cultural studies cannot teach about the interaction between the US and the world, which is a false assumption. Immigration and cultural studies are clearly very important vectors in foreign policy to be ignored at our peril, as we have learned all too well recently. Why would someone with expertise in cultural studies and immigration be unable to uphold Marquette’s standards of excellence in teaching in other foreign policy areas? By way of illustration, I had the pleasure and benefit of Dr. Marten’s instruction in two courses, “The US to 1850″ and “US Military History.” Others in the dept. could have taught the early US History course, but military history was considered Dr. Marten’s specialty. I mention this to show the division and sharing of labor — common at every university in the country. The example given — teaching excellence in the interaction between the US and the world — is simply not compromised by this initiative, but likely expands the department’s expertise into an area of academic interest that is currently underserved.

To Kevin, I would ask if he has not misread the intent of the initiative. No one is requiring that a search be opened to candidates who are not qualified; what is being asked is that a search be conducted so that qualified underrepresented candidates be included in the candidate pool. The imperative is to be creative, to expand networks, to improve outreach, to talk to people at other institutions and to actively recruit people who would not have considered MU before. The theoretical “one spot out of 12″ seems like such a small step, but an important step. It defies credulity that this initiative could be perceived as threatening. The candidate must still be hired on his or her merit.

I wish my alma mater all the best in the continuted pursuit of excellence and in this newer, more robust search for diversity. It’s exciting — ring out ahoya!

Steve Brennan, Associate Dean of Admission at Occidental College, at 4:08 pm EDT on October 14, 2005

American higher education needs Provost Wake’s type of leadership. Her plan may be small, but it’s a start. Wake is not proposing for minority candidates to be treated differently. . . She is proposing that the hiring agent look at things differently. That is the Challenge!

It’s too bad that she has to deal with a number of proponents whose idea of the future is the past.

S. Rivera, The Challenge Is. . ., at 4:51 pm EDT on October 14, 2005

Qualified

Dr. Brennen, if the candidate was qualified, he or she wouldn’t need to have a quota spot reserved in order to compete with other candidates.

It is unfortunate that a person who otherwise would not be considered is regarded as more qualified because of her or his skin color.

I also wonder where the comment from another poster about minority candidates being screened out is coming from.

Kevin, Undergraduate, at 3:26 pm EDT on October 15, 2005

Another problem is that all minority Marquette professors are going to have to overcome a presumption that the only reason that they were considered for the position is because of their membership in the minority group. This will Marquette an even less attractive place to work.

Already people are talking about how this has ghettoized Marquette, a school which had a long way to go to get even near the top.

The only thing American education “needs” is to be completely appearance-blind. But, most people want pretty people teaching and people they can get along with in their departments. Therefore, those with social skills will always rise to the top regardless of their actual ability to work.

Larry, at 7:53 pm EDT on October 15, 2005

Don’t ask

It seems that the best solution is to not ask the candidates race and remove the candidates name when forwarding information to the search committee. That would mean the committee would have nothing to consider but the candidates qualification.

James, at 2:22 pm EDT on October 17, 2005

The world may be diverse, but academia is not. If qualified minorities existed, then surely they would apply for the position just as whites have.

It angers me to see this absurd “diversity” ideal taken to such an extreme with such a weak argument behind it.

Tomeka Brownlee, at 7:16 pm EDT on October 17, 2005