To: All SDSU Faculty
From: J. Luke Wood, Chief Diversity Officer / Associate Vice President for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion
Subject: Provost’s Chair of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion & Provost’s Professors of Equity in Education Recruitment Now Open (Multiple Positions)
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS (Multiple Positions)
The Office of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion is now accepting applications for multiple positions, including the inaugural Provost’s Chair of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion and Provost’s Professors of Equity in Education. These positions will support the implementation of several initiatives, including Diversity Strategic Planning, Search Committee and RTP Committee Training, and the University Inclusion Program. An overview of these programs can be found at the end of this call. All positions will report to the Associate Vice President (AVP) for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion. The commitment for each position is one-year, with the possibility for renewal based on resources. Collectively, these individuals will advise the AVP for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion on the development of a plan to create a sustained budget. This initiative is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and was reviewed and approved by the Senate committee on Diversity, Equity, and Outreach.
Timeline:
- Call for applications – November 7
- Application closes – November 20
- Interviews – early December
- Train the trainer–December/January
- Training implementation begins – January
Provost’s Chair of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion
The Provost’s Chair of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion is a 12-month faculty position that is supported by the Office of the Provost. The Chair receives six-units of release time (Fall and Spring) and three units of release time/pay (Summer II) to support the development and implementation of diversity training initiatives operated by the Office of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion. This includes supporting the AVP for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion on the implementation of the University Senate resolution that will create university and department-level strategic plans for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Chair is also responsible for overseeing the implementation of search committee training for all faculty and executive-administrative searches and the University Inclusion program. As such, the Chair serves as a leader to the Provost’s Professors of Equity in Education.
Provost’s Professors of Equity in Education (multiple positions)
The Provost’s Professors of Equity in Education will receive three-units for both the Fall and Spring semester to implement the University Inclusion Program, Diversity Strategic Planning, and Search Committee Training. Each Professor must agree to participate in an intensive train-the-trainer program as well as ongoing trainings on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In their role as trainers, Professors will provide intensive, ongoing professional learning opportunities for SDSU faculty on diversity-related topics. Some examples of trainings will include unconscious and implicit bias, racial/gender microaggressions, teaching practices for underserved students, cultural competency, and becoming a Hispanic serving institution. A wide range of disciplinary diversity will be prioritized among these Professors.
Criteria:
- Candidates for all positions must: Demonstrate commitment to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion within university settings
- Be an SDSU faculty member (full-time or part-time) (tenured, tenure-track, or temporary).
- Have experience providing professional learning opportunities on diversity topics such as unconscious and implicit bias, racial/gender microaggressions, teaching practices for underserved students, and cultural competency. Expertise is not expected in all areas, simply a willingness to learn.
- Demonstrate willingness to engage in ongoing professional learning around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Be collegial, with strong interpersonal skills, and a track record of working collaboratively with colleagues within and across disciplines.
Guidelines
Please submit a letter of intent and curriculum vita to Luke Wood, Chief Diversity Officer & AVP for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion by 5pm PST on November 20, 2018. Submit via email to: email hidden; JavaScript is required" href="http://comm.sdsu.edu/NM00tBYw00014iP0az60A0p" target="_blank" rel="noopener">email hidden; JavaScript is required
Program Descriptions
Diversity Strategic Planning
In February 2018, the SDSU University Senate passed a resolution to create a campus-wide diversity plan. The resolution also requires that individual diversity plans be developed for all academic and administrative units/divisions in a manner that is congruent with the university’s diversity plan. To support the implementation of this effort, the Provost’s Chair of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion with the support of Provost’s Professors of Equity in Education will provide hands-on training and guidance for departments on the following:
- Examining data on equity and diversity for students, faculty, and staff
- Collective sensemaking around areas of disproportionate impact
- Identification of goals, objectives, interventions, planned resources, and assessment to address areas of disproportionate impact (in alignment with the University diversity plan)
- Ongoing professional development around topics that can assist units in the implementation of diversity plans
Search Committee and RTP Committee Training
The goal of the Office of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion is to advance diversity through a process that includes: 1) creating more robust applicant pool diversity for tenure-track and temporary faculty positions; and 2) providing training to committees on issues such as unconscious bias and microaggressions. To support this process, the Provost’s Chair of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion with the Provost’s Professors of Equity in Education will develop in-person and on-line trainings tailored specifically to the SDSU community on implicit bias and microaggressions in hiring. These trainings will cover the range of topics applicable to the search process, including the following:
- Development of job descriptions that attract diverse candidates and convey SDSU’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Understanding of bias in commonly employed applicant criteria
- Understanding how social closure (referrals and networks) influences applicant pools
- Pre-screening discussions on desired experiences and skills
- Bias introduced through informal background research on candidates
- Common phrases and sensemaking that conveys bias (e.g., fit, likability, strong)
- Bias in the messages received by candidates during interviews and on-campus visits
- Bias introduced through off-list reference checks
Inclusion Program
The SDSU Inclusion Program is led by the Provost’s Chair of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion under the direction of the Chief Diversity Officer. With support from the Provost’s Professors of Equity in Education, this program provides intensive, ongoing professional learning opportunities for SDSU faculty on diversity-related topics. The program is designed to ensure that all faculty are aware of SDSU’s diversity and inclusion goals and are provided with capacity-building activities that can better empower all personnel to support these efforts. These sessions will occur during unit meetings, retreats, or at meetings that are mutually agreed upon. Some examples of trainings will include unconscious and implicit bias, racial/gender microaggressions, teaching practices for underserved students, and cultural competency, and becoming a Hispanic serving institution.
