TO:

Beth Dobkin, Provost

FROM:

Mindy Thomas, Chair Academic Senate

DATE:January 20, 2017 7RE: Senate Action S-16/17-27 Resolution for Increase of AfricanAmerican and Black Faculty at SMC

At the January 18, 2017 meeting of the Academic Senate, the Senate unanimously approved the attached Resolution for Increase of African-American and Black Faculty at Saint Mary’s by a vote of 9-0-0. This action was assigned Senate Action # S-16/17-27.

. Attachment Cc: President James A. Donahue Claude Malary

SENATE RESOLUTION INCREASE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND BLACK FACULTY AT SAINT MARY’S WHEREAS, Saint Mary’s College is committed to academic excellence and the actuality of protecting and increasing diversity as a key factor in fulfillment of its Catholic and LaSallian Mission, and WHEREAS, African American and Black faculty now comprise only 5% of tenure-track faculty at the College, for a total of a mere ten African American and Black faculty out of a total faculty of some 222 members, and WHEREAS, solid data indicates the current 5% presence of African American and Black faculty has over many years, and only recently, increased even this much from the previous, low, level which was only 2.0 to 2.5%, and WHEREAS, even the presence of a 5% African American and Black tenure track faculty represents serious institutional failure to achieve hiring results directly in line with academic excellence, its own Catholic and LaSallian Mission, relevant academic and climate needs for students of color, and for all students and faculty at the College, and WHEREAS, the College has expressed its commitment to diversity repeatedly, publicly, and on many institutional levels, and WHEREAS, it is clear that this desirable, appropriate, and expressed commitment to diversity has not translated into sufficient, specific, concrete goals, time lines, and actions to achieve those goals and time lines regarding African American and Black faculty, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ACADEMIC SENATE THAT: 1. Saint Mary’s College shall make an immediate and serious commitment to raising the percentage of African American and Black tenure-track faculty to 15% by the academic year 2023-2024.

2. Each school at the College shall be committed and supported to accept equal responsibility for adding four new African American and Black tenure-track faculty to its roster over the next five years, and that no school shall receive credit toward such hiring because another school has exceeded that goal as this responsibility for hiring is recognized to be a necessity across all schools,

3. Any increase in the size of the professoriate at the College from the current number of 222 shall trigger recalculation of the raw-number goal by the Chief Diversity Officer in order to maintain 15% commitment.

4. In order not to fall behind the 15% goal, the College shall commit to vigorous recruitment and hiring efforts that support each school.