As the University seeks to increase diversity within its halls, Hiring new faculty members is more than choosing a name from a pool of applicants
Before a new professor steps on the University campus to take the role of teacher and researcher, they are interviewed and vetted by a search committee, said Kevin Cope, president of the Faculty Senate.
The chair of the new professor’s department and the dean of the colleges appoint a team of faculty members to look over a group of applicants. The applicants are narrowed down and interviewed. The committee then submits recommendations to the college’s dean, who chooses the new member, said Jane Cassidy, vice provost for human resources and facilities management.
LSU President F. King Alexander said earlier this year that the University is looking to hire about 100 new faculty and staff to keep up with growth, especially in the College of Engineering, which has seen about a 15 percent increase in enrollment in the last year.
According to its website, the College of Engineering added 10 new professors and assistant professors to its numbers this semester.
Cassidy said there used to be an informal agreement to choose from a diverse pool of applicants in terms of race, gender, ethnicity or background when hiring. Now the University is implementing a process to ensure a diverse group of applicants is considered for open positions.
Dereck Rovaris, vice provost for diversity, started at the University in July and serves as adviser to the administration and campus community on matters involving equity, diversity and inclusion, according to the University’s website.
Cassidy said Rovaris is campaigning with the University’s search committees to promote diversity in hiring.
In terms of race, gender, ethnicity and background, diversity in the University’s faculty is important for students, Cassidy said.
“If they see somebody that looks like them they will think ‘I could be that someday,’” Cassidy said.
Cassidy said the University’s Human Resources department handles all of the administrative work with applicants, managing the online applications and getting applicant’s information to the search committees for consideration.
When the University conducts searches for executive faculty, like deans or administrative positions, it sometimes hires a search firm to aid the committee’s efforts. Using these firms can cost as much as $100,000, Cassidy said. But in instances such as the search for a new dean of the E.J. Ourso College of Business, using a firm to search for a dean is the industry standard.
The University hired seven new deans this year, but not all of them required the use of a search firm. It depends on the position, Cassidy said. For example, Texas-based R. William Funk & Associates was used to help the search for Alexander.
Guillermo Ferreyra, former interim dean of the College of Science and professor of mathematics, said the University places advertisements written to attract applicants in publications. Each advertisement placed says the University is an equal opportunity institution.
“The advertisements are placed in several publications read by the candidates, like professional societies’ journals,” Ferreyra said.
A diversity advocate is on every committee to ensure minority candidates are considered and writes a report for the college, Ferreyra said.