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The University of Texas System Actions Related to the
Report of the Committee on the Advancement of Minorities
by Dr. William H. Cunningham
The Report of the Committee on the Advancement of Minorities contains
many thoughtful recommendations for policies and procedures that The
University of Texas System and its component
institutions might employ to enhance the diversity of their faculties
and senior administrative staffs. I commend the Committee for its
hard work, which has resulted in a constructive Report that will be
a valuable guide for strengthening existing programs.
I recognize and applaud the long-standing policies and programs (detailed
in Appendix 5 of the Report) that have been implemented by U.T. System
component institutions to increase faculty and staff diversity. As
the Committee has made clear, the relative lack of diversity among
faculty and senior administrators in the U.T. System, as well as in
higher education institutions across the nation, reflects complex
historical, social, demographic and economic forces. Among these,
none is more contrary to public morality or destructive of the objectives
and processes of human development than discrimination on the basis
of race, gender or national origin. Dealing effectively with the impact
of these factors on higher education requires persistent effort on
many fronts. The U.T. System has made the sustained commitment that
is necessary in order to increase diversity, and the work of this
Committee provides an excellent opportunity to reaffirm and intensify
that commitment.
The Committee's recommendations, presented on pages 60-68 of the
Report, provide a concise statement of goals for the System with regard
to professional opportunity for members of minority groups. I endorse
the fundamental goals stated by the Committee:
- To serve the best interests of Texas by increasing the recruitment
of minority faculty and administrators.
- To create an environment free of the racial hostility and prejudice
that inhibit individuals from maximizing their potential.
- To support the development, retention, and productivity of minority
faculty and administrators.
- To create and maintain campus living, learning, and faculty and
staff workplace environments that encourage and support the development
of students, faculty, and staff to their highest potential of intellectual
achievement, artistic skill, or professional and personal growth
irrespective of race, color, gender, or national origin.
Most of the detailed recommendations of the Committee are summarized
in the Report as "strategies" (pages 60-61) for achieving
these goals and the objectives derived from them. These strategies are
amplified on pages 62-68 under the headings "Organization Structure
and Procedure," "Strategic Planning" and "Action
Planning." Pages 62-68 also contain additional recommendations
that were not discussed in the previous section of the Report.
After careful review of the recommendations, it is clear that they
contain many suggestions worthy of adoption by the U.T. System and/or
the component institutions, as well as some suggestions that require
further study.
1. RECOMMENDATIONS APPROVED OR ENDORSED
A. Recommendations Approved for System-wide Implementation
- The recommendation to establish a Regental-level committee to
monitor actions related to this Report, as well as the forthcoming
report on advancement opportunities for women, was implemented before
the Committee on the Advancement of Minorities completed its work.
The Regents' Committee on Minorities and Women was established in
Spring 1995 and includes Regents Zan Holmes, Don Evans and Martha
Smiley. This Committee is making a very valuable contribution in
studying and monitoring these issues. (Strategy 2.1.3, page 60)
- A requirement that has been in place for some time for annual
reports to the Coordinating Board is closely related to the Committee's
recommendation that each institution submit annual progress reports
to the Chancellor's Office concerning diversity initiatives and
the hiring of minority faculty and administrators. R. D. Burck,
executive vice chancellor for business affairs, is working with
the component institutions to coordinate these annual reports so
they are in a uniform format throughout the System, relying as much
as possible on the reports that institutions have been making to
the Coordinating Board. (Strategy 2.1.4, page 61)
- I have directed that "institutional diversity profiles"
be developed. The U.T. System Office of Human Resources will work
with the component institutions in compiling historical and current
data as part of the profiles, and the development of diversity projections
for future years will be coordinated by James P. Duncan, executive
vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Charles B. Mullins, executive
vice chancellor for health affairs. (Strategy 1.2, page 64)
- The recommendation to monitor hiring and promotion practices
for good faith efforts to attract and facilitate advancement of
minority applicants for faculty and administrative positions should
be an integral part of personnel management practices. Dr. Duncan
and Dr. Mullins will work with the component institutions to ensure
implementation of these practices throughout the U.T. System. (Strategy
1.2.1, page 60)
- The U.T. System will implement the recommendation that progress
toward attainment of diversity goals and objectives be included
as a formal part of the regular performance expectations and evaluations
of administrators throughout the System. This has previously been
done without a formal policy. (Strategy 2.1.1, page 60)
- The recommendation to use the U.T. System's faculty and student
advisory groups as resources in the effort to achieve diversity
goals will be implemented. The Student Advisory Group has had a
standing committee on minority and multicultural concerns since
its inception. (Strategy 2.2.3, page 61)
- Also to be implemented is the recommendation to include in campus
strategic plans detailed goals and objectives related to attaining
a diverse campus community. (Guideline 8, page 63)
B. Recommendations Endorsed by the Chancellor and
to be Included in the U.T. System's Legislative Funding Requests
- The recommendations for a System-wide junior faculty development
program (Strategy 1.1.6, page 60) and for a scholars identification
and financial aid program (Strategy 2.2, page 65) offer a number
of promising possibilities. Michael D. Millsap, vice chancellor
for governmental relations, will prepare a proposal for State funding
of such programs in the U.T. System, using the Florida Education
Fund as one model.
- Also to be included in the System's funding request will be an
increase in State support for existing initiatives related to recruiting,
retaining and promoting minority faculty and senior administrators.
(Strategy 1.1.7, page 60)
- With regard to each of the items in this section, I will encourage
the component institutions to seek additional financing for these
purposes from existing funds, as well as to continue to seek additional
private support for these efforts. It is recognized, however, that
securing adequate private funding in this area will be difficult,
if not impossible, without new State support.
C. Recommendations Endorsed by the Chancellor and
Referred to Component Presidents for Action
- A series of five recommendations deal with efforts to recruit
minority faculty and to increase significantly the diversity of
the tenured and tenure-track faculties of U.T. System institutions.
These are excellent recommendations and, indeed, are related to
activities that most components have been engaged in for an extended
time. Most of these recommendations involve activities that are
the responsibility of individual institutions. Therefore, I am directing
each component president to review the recommendations that they
do not already have in place to determine the feasibility of implementing
them so each campus can work more effectively to increase diversity.
The annual reports from each campus on diversity issues will include
an account of the specific actions taken with regard to this set
of recommendations. (Strategies 1.1.1 through 1.1.5, page 60)
- Another series of six recommendations dealing with retention
of minority faculty provide an array of strategies, including faculty
mentoring programs, support for teaching effectiveness centers,
and clearly established and communicated processes for granting
tenure. As with the recruitment recommendations cited above, these
involve activities that are best implemented locally. Therefore,
I am directing each component president to review the retention
recommendations that they do not already have in place to determine
the feasibility of implementing them. The annual reports on diversity
issues will also include an account of the specific actions taken
with regard to this set of recommendations. (Strategies 3.1.2 through
3.1.7, page 61)
Many programs such as those envisioned by the recruitment and retention
recommendations discussed above have been implemented over an extended
time at some component institutions. It is desirable, however, that
all of these efforts be reviewed at all component institutions as
part of a comprehensive reevaluation in light of the Committee's recommendations.
2. RECOMMENDATIONS REFERRED TO COMPONENT PRESIDENTS
FOR FURTHER STUDY
- I endorse in concept the recommendation that funds from existing
appropriations be designated for the support of programs to help
expand the number of minority employees in executive, administrative,
managerial and professional staff positions. However, I recognize
that there are many claims on current funds, and it is clear that
the component institutions have been making efforts to direct funds
toward diversity programs. Nevertheless, I am encouraging the presidents
to consider this recommendation and evaluate whether it is possible
to allocate even more of their current appropriations for this vital
effort. (Strategy 1.2.2, page 60)
- The recommendation related to institutional assessments at each
campus will be referred to the component presidents for their consideration.
(Strategy 2.2.1, page 61)
- The recommendation that faculty and administrators attend educational
programs dealing with diversity goals will be referred to the component
presidents to evaluate as a possibility for implementation at the
campus level. (Strategy 2.2.2, page 61)
- Referred to the component presidents is the recommendation to
standardize organizational placement of the Affirmative Action/Equal
Employment Opportunity function to report directly to the chief
administrative officer. (Guideline 5, page 62)
- Also referred to the component presidents for their review is
the recommendation for a Council on Human Diversity at each campus
to advise regarding planning required to increase diversity. (Guideline
6, page 62)
3. RECOMMENDATIONS REQUIRING FURTHER STUDY AT
THE SYSTEM LEVEL
- I am continuing to study the advisability of establishing a position
that reports to the Chancellor with primary responsibility for oversight
of diversity goals throughout the System (Strategy 2.1.2, page 60),
as well as the recommendation to realign the placement of the System's
Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity function from
the Office of Director, Human Resources to the Office of the Chancellor.
(Guideline 4, page 62)
- The recommendation to establish internships to support the advancement
of diversity could be of great benefit in providing enhanced management
experience. The executive vice chancellors for academic affairs
and health affairs will join me in discussions with the component
presidents regarding the practical possibilities for implementing
this recommendation, including an assessment of costs and possible
sources of funding. (Strategy 3.2.1, page 61)
- The recommendation for a study of issues related to disparities
in student achievement in the public schools has been referred to
Gwen Grigsby, assistant vice chancellor for governmental relations,
who directs the U.T. System's ongoing initiative for collaboration
between the System and the public schools. (Strategy 2.1, page 65)
Again, I wish to thank the Committee on the Advancement of Minorities
for its work. The U.T. System and its component institutions have been
working to achieve greater diversity for many years, and much progress
has been made. Nevertheless, it is clear that much more remains to be
achieved. Our long-standing efforts, and the renewed concentration on
these issues resulting from the Committee's recommendations, are properly
viewed as part of a long-term, comprehensive initiative that must involve
many aspects of society, including family and K-12 learning systems,
health care and other systems that support human development. The U.T.
System is committed to a constructive and, indeed, a leading role in
meeting that challenge. |
