SR 11-03 - Resolution to Advance the Ethnic and Racial Diversity of Faculty, Staff, and Administrators from Historically Underrepresented Groups

WHEREAS the mission of the CSU is to “prepare students for an international, multi-cultural society;” and

WHEREAS the CSU Channel Islands student population is diverse; and

WHEREAS CSU Channel Islands is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI); and

WHEREAS CSU Channel Islands is an HSI, formally obliged to effectively serve historically underrepresented students; and

WHEREAS CSU Channel Islands’ service to historically underrepresented populations must acknowledge the reality that the possible selves students can envision are linked to the models they see in the world around them; and

WHEREAS racial and ethnic faculty diversity helps promote the development of a curriculum relevant to historically underrepresented groups in the CSU Channel Islands service area; and

WHEREAS CSU Channel Islands promotes its commitment to diverse communities; and

WHEREAS an affirmative action program is critical to achieving and maintaining faculty, staff, and administrator diversity; and

WHEREAS tenure-track faculty recruitment efforts have yielded a low number of historically underrepresented applicants; and

WHEREAS even a lower number of historically underrepresented tenure-track faculty candidates have been invited to the on-campus interview process; and

WHEREAS the achievement of a representative body of faculty, staff, and administrators requires determination; and

WHEREAS historically underrepresented administrator candidates take unique and innovative pathways of advancement in academe; and

WHEREAS there are tested strategies that enhance the yield of quality historically underrepresented candidates; and

WHEREAS ongoing workshops can reinforce the university’s commitment to diversity; and

WHEREAS factors of race and ethnicity can be considered pursuant to state and federal law in the recruitment process; and

WHEREAS the U.S. Supreme court ruled in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) that diversity remains a vital component of a university’s educational mission; thus

Be it resolved that the Academic Senate supports the implementation of innovative and affirmative initiatives and additional processes in order to: assess the recruitment and hiring practices of the university; guide the recruitment, retention, and promotion of faculty, staff, and administrators from historically underrepresented groups; and create a leadership program for such faculty and staff to promote their development to become academic administrators.