Dive Brief:
- The University of Louisville is taking fire for a job ad posted for a tenure-track, assistant professor position in the Department of Physics and Astronomy that specifically said it would hire a black, Latino or Native American candidate.
- Inside Higher Ed reports the ad was taken down after someone complained it did not include people with disabilities in the list of sought-after candidates, and in light of the racial climate on campuses today, many wonder whether specifying such groups is even legal.
- While there is a push to hire more underrepresented faculty, approved strategies include expanding the applicant pool by mentoring Ph.D.s in the pipeline, and setting diversity goals rather than quotas in hiring according to the book, The Law of Higher Education.
Dive Insight:
The Louisville job listing will be reworded and reposted, and the human resources department is referring to the initial language as an error. Attempting to discourage certain groups from applying for positions they feel qualified for could be a recipe for a lawsuit. The University of Texas just last week had to defend its holistic admissions process before the Supreme Court for the second time as a spurned white applicant continues a 7-year-old case.
Besides the potential litigation, a black, Latino, or Native American applicant would almost certainly face added scrutiny to his or her work and qualifications. College administrators have more nuanced, thoughtful strategies at their disposal to increase diversity on campuses.