Dive Brief:
- The University of California-Davis law school boasts a faculty body that is comprised of 47% female and 56% racial and ethnic minorities.
- With state laws barring racial or gender considerations in hiring a consistent part of candidate review practices, Johnson attributes the increase in diversity to support from deans and provosts, diversity on appointment committees, and professional pipelines to cultivate talent for future hiring consideration.
- UC-Davis also promotes mentoring for minority faculty members to encourage comfort in the tenure and promotion process, while also ensuring racial sensitivity and transparency about the university's racial climate.
Dive Insight:
In 2013, African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians comprised only 13% of full professors at all colleges and universities, but accounted for 20% of the total number of instructors. UC-Davis, given California's racial composition and the importance of racial sensitivity in understanding and practicing law, appears to be an outlier against trends at most institutions.
While racial tensions on college campuses may be out of the national headlines, many minority students are still demanding for campuses to reexamine faculty hiring practices to ensure greater racial representation and perspectives. Some faculty are addressing these tensions head on in public spaces, but colleges will always be scrutinized for leading conversation and action on racial equity and opportunity.