Dive Brief:
- A cluster hiring initiative at the University of California at Riverside has launched with much frustration for faculty relating to the scale and timeline of the project, the disorganized planning process, and the negative effect on traditional hiring processes.
- Inside Higher Ed reports a survey by the Academic Senate had a relatively high response rate at almost half, with 82% of respondents saying their departments already had strategic hiring initiatives, 72% disagreed that the criteria for cluster hiring proposals was clear, and 69% disagreed that the strategy was an innovative and appropriate replacement for traditional departmental hiring strategy.
- UC Riverside’s missteps can provide a lesson for others — cluster hiring initiatives should be launched to supplement traditional departmental hiring, not supplant it; communication about the goals of cluster hiring must be clear from the beginning; and leadership should win the buy-in from all levels before moving forward.
Dive Insight:
Many institutions have turned to cluster hiring initiatives in the last few years to increase diversity on campus, break down silos across departments, and increase competitiveness for grants funding “big idea” research. At UC-Riverside, those in the humanities felt left out of the process because of a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math.
Besides securing and maintaining buy-in from all levels of the institution, key preparation for launching a successful cluster hiring program includes updating an institution’s policy infrastructure. Cluster hires straddle multiple departments that likely have different expectations for faculty before promotion and tenure. Once hires are actually made, a positive work environment depends on clear, realistic expectations.