Reimagining Faculty Hiring in STEM: Mentoring as Key Metric for Faculty Diversity

• In Event: Advancing Faculty Diversity, Research, and Mentorship in STEM

Abstract

Faculty hiring practices, especially at research-focused institutions, emphasize finding candidates who meet traditional standards such as strong research agendas, publications, and grants. However, these criteria haven’t effectively advanced diversity in STEM. Amid political trends restricting race-conscious practices, the UCLA Mentor Professor Program is an innovative approach to faculty hiring that elevates mentoring as a key criterion in the hiring process. Through case study analysis, we compare search committees with and without the Mentor Professor Program to explore the impact of prioritizing mentoring as a key criterion in the faculty hiring process as a mechanism to increase faculty diversity. Preliminary findings indicate faculty searches for Mentor Professors yielded more significant results in creating a comprehensive and robust candidate pool and finalists.

Authors

• Channel C. McLewis, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Damani K. White-Lewis, University of Pennsylvania

• Ayin Daleth Morales, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Megan L Vogt-Kostner, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Mya Felder, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Amanda Sue La Paz Torres, University of Nebraska - Lincoln