SUNY has significantly increased the diversity of its student population, and campus leadership at the highest level. We have been less successful in increasing the diversity of our faculty. Our data reveals a pronounced gap between the racial/ethnic diversity of SUNY faculty members (8.6%) as compared to the diversity of the students they instruct (28.5%, Fall 2018). This 3X gap is expected to grow if SUNY campuses do not take steps to overhaul their hiring practices and methodology.
PRODiG ("Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth") aims to increase the representation of historically underrepresented faculty at SUNY including underrepresented minority ("URM") faculty in general and women faculty of all races in STEM fields (“WSTEM”). Increasing the representation of faculty members who understand, and have overcome, race- and gender-based barriers and biases is important to the success and well-being of our students. A diverse faculty is critical to academic excellence because as research demonstrates, diverse teams are more innovative, productive, and solve complex problems faster and better.[1] Furthermore, Faculty diversity is key to preparing all students to live and work in an increasingly global, diverse and interconnected world by exposing students to a wide array of ideas, experiences, cultures, and individuals.
[1] Scott Page, The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies (Princeton University Press, 2008).