Diversity in Higher Education

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THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2010
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Diversity in Higher Education
There is no shortage of jobs in higher education, with many colleges and universities seeking the most
innovative and diverse faculty, staff and executives as they expand. Both the quality and diversity of college
and university faculty and administrators determine the quality of the education students receive. The longterm objective is an engaged and globally aware student body.
While higher education is in hiring
mode, diversity has become an increasingly important factor in hiring decisions. By diversifying the faculty and
staff of higher education institutions,
the argument goes, those groups more
closely mirror the multicultural student population they have been hired
to serve.
“Populating campuses with the most
innovative and diverse faculty and administrators provides students with an
opportunity to engage in a multicultural
learning community,” explained national
higher education recruitment consortium (herc) director nancy aebersold.
“these experiences are essential for
those who will serve as future leaders.
diversity brings multiple perspectives
and experiences and a richer interplay of
ideas that result in a more vibrant learning environment.”
More than 500 campuses around the
country are collaborating to recruit and
retain the most diverse and innovative
faculty, staff and executive job candidates with the help of herc, which for
the last 10 years has been developing a
national coordinating office and 11 regions throughout the u.S. that represent
20 states and the district of columbia.
“herc’s membership itself is diverse,
and includes public and private colleges
This special advertising feature is sponsored by participating advertisers. The material was written by Jason
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and universities, community colleges,
faith-based colleges, teaching hospitals, governmental agencies such as the
national institutes of health, national
laboratories and museums,” explained
elizabeth ancarana, the national herc
advisory board chair and assistant dean
of faculty development at harvard university. “our goal is to help job seekers in
each of these categories.”
herc has established important
partnerships with like-minded organizations that share a commitment to
diversity, including diverse issues in
higher education, Women for hire, insight into diversity, latinos in higher ed,
the Phd Project and hispanic outlook.
“these partnerships have resulted in a
broader pool of diverse jobseekers using
the herc job Web sites as a resource,”
said Jacqueline hogan, national herc
director of development and communications. “in fact, the jobseekers using
herc significantly outpace national
averages for diversity on both race and
gender. herc jobseekers are 65 percent
female, and 38 percent from underrepresented minority groups.”
the national herc Web site — at
www.hercjobs.org — allows jobseekers
to search more than 14,000 faculty, staff
and executive jobs. users can also post a
résumé so that recruitment professionals can then contact them directly about
job openings. Jobseekers interested in
Diversifying the faculty and staff of higher education institutions has become an increasingly important factor in hiring decisions.
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THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2010
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exploring jobs in a specific region can
visit one of the 11 regional HERC Web
sites. The resource is free to jobseekers,
and has the highest number of job
listings of any higher education jobs
Web site.
The types of jobs sought by HERC
member institutions are not merely
academic. Individuals with a background
in business, government and nonprofit
sectors often possess skills that are
highly transferrable to higher education.
“Colleges and universities are a microcosm of the larger labor market,” noted
Aebersold, “and jobseekers are often
surprised to learn that in addition to
teaching and research jobs, the majority
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of higher-ed hires are staff and executives who run the gamut from finance
managers, attorneys, administrative
assistants, IT professionals and marketing/PR people, to veterinary technicians,
librarians, graphic artists, counselors
and nurses, just to name a few.”
Recognizing that the decision to accept a job frequently is contingent upon
an offer of job search assistance and
opportunities for the accompanying
partner, HERC also helps with addressing the dual-career needs of the spouses
and partners of potential employees.
“By offering access to job opportunities
to accompanying partners through the
HERC Web sites and network, member
The National HERC Web site — at www.hercjobs.org —
allows jobseekers to search more than 14,000 faculty, staff
and executive jobs.
institutions increase the likelihood of
hiring their first-choice candidates,”
added Aebersold. “HERC is on the cutting edge of addressing this important
need, and has been recognized in the
most comprehensive research on dual-
Each day, more than 100,000 copies of The New York Times are distributed to over 1,200 college and university campuses. Photo: Evan Sung for The New York Times
career issues for faculty in the academy
published in August 2008 by Stanford
University’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research.”
Among the Stanford study’s top 10
recommendations, published in “DualCareer Academic Couples: What Universities Need to Know,” is that campuses
collaborate with neighboring institutions. The study notes that the many
Higher Education Recruitment Consortia
springing up around the country provide
new opportunities for institutions to
coordinate job opportunities. Additionally, the study reports, “One of HERC’s
strengths is facilitating collaboration between diverse institutions, which gives
faculty partners a broad array of choices
in searching for institutions that fit their
preparation and background.”
“Because HERC is regionally based,”
concluded Aebersold, “accompanying
spouses and partners are able to utilize
the regional HERC and National HERC
Web sites to identify positions within a
commutable distance. Keeping academic
families together in the same locale is
essential to maintaining a healthy work/
life balance, and members recognize that
participating in family friendly initiatives
like HERC makes sense.”
HERC is especially valuable to dualcareer couples trying to relocate to a
new region. “There is great pressure,
particularly in higher ed, to help dualcareer couples who may both be faculty
members, or aspire to faculty roles,”
said Paulette Granberry Russell, director of Michigan State University’s office
of inclusion and intercultural initiatives.
“The service that HERC provides — to
help academic couples move here and
work — is an important dimension of
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THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2010
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Illustration: HERC
our ability to recruit the best and the
brightest.”
In addition to helping to attract innovative and diverse jobseekers to
member institutions and addressing
dual-career issues, HERC has built a
professional network among its 500
member institutions. Each regional
HERC hosts regular member meetings
that include featured speakers on best
practices for recruitment and retention. Additionally, members have free
access to topical Webinars, and enjoy
HERC member discounts from select
vendors.
The Michigan HERC, for example,
offers a range of services to Michigan
State University. “The MI-HERC is unmatched as a collaborative partnership
to advance Michigan’s higher education
sector,” said Theodore Curry, associate
provost/associate vice president for
academic human resources at Michigan
State University and National HERC
advisory board member. “It provides
enhanced regional and national exposure for employment opportunities
at member institutions, and brings
cutting-edge practices for building diversity, assisting dual-career partners,
and recruiting and retaining talent at
our institutions.”
The Mid-Atlantic (MA) HERC has
received similar high marks. “Joining
the Mid-Atlantic HERC was an easy
decision for us,” said Gertrude Fraser,
vice provost for faculty recruitment
and retention at the University of
Virginia. “We feel membership in the
Mid-Atlantic HERC signals to a diverse
group of faculty, administrative and
professional candidates that the university offers the best of both worlds:
It is located in a vibrant academic town
and is also a player in a much larger
metropolitan area that encompasses
numerous academic institutions. MAHERC helps us promote the idea that
dual-career couples are not limited to
a single institution; they can have successful careers and happy lives within
the greater Mid-Atlantic area.”
“The goal of the Web site is simple:
Jobs, jobs, jobs,” added Aebersold.
Regional HERCs
Greater Chicago Midwest HERC
www.gcherc.org
Metro New York & Southern
Connecticut HERC
www.mnyscherc.org
Michigan HERC
www.michiganherc.org
Mid-Atlantic HERC
www.midatlanticherc.org
New England HERC
www.newenglandherc.org/
NJ - Eastern PA - DE HERC
www.njepadeherc.org
Northern California HERC
www.norcalherc.org
Southern California HERC
www.socalherc.org
St. Louis Regional HERC
www.stlrherc.org
Upper Midwest HERC
www.uppermidwestherc.org
Upstate New York HERC
www.upstatenyherc.org/
“Working for a higher-education employer is extremely rewarding, and has
many advantages such as sensitivity
to work/life issues; great fringe benefits; first-rate retirement programs;
opportunities for career advancement;
and interesting jobs that contribute to
society. The good news is that even in
this down economy, higher education
is still hiring. These are engaging jobs
with competitive compensation packages that leave you with a good feeling
at the end of the day because you are
making a difference.”
For more information, visit the
National HERC Web site at
www.hercjobs.org.
Reaching New and Diverse Audiences
At The New York Times, outreach efforts to colleges and universities date
back to the 1930s. Today, more than
100,000 copies of the newspaper are
distributed to over 1,200 college and
university campuses each day.
The Times also sponsors several initiatives to reach diverse, communitybased educational organizations in the
New York area. In 2007, The Times established the annual English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Teacher
of the Year Award to honor outstanding local teachers. “Literacy and education are of vital importance to The
New York Times and the communities
we serve,” explained Uchenna Hicks,
senior manager of community affairs
and media relations for The New York
Times Company. “New York City is a
city of immigrants and it is also the
place The Times calls home. The New
York Times has long recognized the
challenges faced by immigrants to the
United States, and supports efforts to
help immigrants build new lives in this
country. [Each year] our ESOL program
recognizes one teacher in New York
City whose commitment is demonstrated by consistently going above
and beyond the call of duty to help his
or her students learn English.”
The Times’s dedicated circulation
sales team works in concert with
university administrators, faculty,
students and student government, as
well as with national academic associations, to develop innovative strategies
to build an engaged and globally aware
student body of critical thinkers. “Engaging with higher education institutions is a central part of our circulation
and audience-development strategy,”
added Ray Pearce, vice president of
circulation for The New York Times.
“The New York Times is a valuable
classroom resource which links learning to living,” said Susan Mills, managing director of education for The New
York Times. “The Times serves the
ideals of today’s demanding educational aims by engaging students
in active learning, spurring critical
thinking and increasing global awareness. Faculty members choose the
The New York Times because it is the
most dynamic and engaging textbook
they offer students.” ■
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