Addressing Faculty Diversity

In October 2006, President Seligman adopted 31 recommendations from the Task Force on Faculty Diversity and Inclusiveness as part of an effort to make the University a more diverse place in 2006-07.

Minorities and, in some fields, women have been historically underrepresented on the faculty at Rochester, as they have at most universities. University faculty and staff have been implementing the recommendations of the task force to remedy the problems.

The recommendations include appointing a diversity officer to coordinate University-wide programs, creating a Special Opportunities Fund to help in "the intense market competition for quality faculty who are members of groups historically underrepresented in certain academic fields," and establishing family-friendly policies.

The president named Lynne Davidson, who chaired the task force, as the University's faculty diversity officer. The deans in each of the University's schools have also appointed faculty diversity officers. The process of implementing recommendations will be completed by June 2008.