By Bernie DeGroat
News and Information Services
Minorities now comprise 14 percent of total faculty at the U-M’s Ann Arbor campus, according to 1994-95 figures released today.
This compares with 13.9 percent in 1993, 12.8 percent in 1992, 12.3 percent in 1991, 11.2 percent in 1990 and 10.7 percent in 1989.
In the last five years, the number of minority faculty has increased by 37.2 percent (compared with a 5.2 percent rise in total faculty since 1989), although that figure grew only 1.5 percent in the last year.
“I am disappointed that we are not making more progress in retaining faculty of color, following years of success,” says President James J. Duderstadt. “Increased competition from peer institutions is clearly a factor in our inability to make adequate progress. I am working with the executive officers and deans to develop appropriate action steps to ensure that we turn this trend around. We can simply afford to do nothing less.”
Of the current 3,791 faculty at the U-M, 263 are Asian American (6.9 percent), 166 are African American (4.4 percent), 94 are Hispanic (2.5 percent) and eight are Native American (0.2 percent).
Three categories make up the instructional staff at the University: tenured and tenure-track appointments, lecturers, and supplemental staff (visiting professors and those with adjunct or clinical appointments).
Of the total faculty of color, 368 hold tenured or tenure-track appointments (a 2.8 percent increase over 1993-94), 106 are lecturers and 57 are supplemental instructional staff.
Among Asian American faculty, 181 are tenured or tenure-track (up two from 1993), 51 are lecturers (up two) and 31 are supplemental (no change).
There are 128 African American faculty who are tenured or tenure-track (up two from 1993), 25 who are lecturers (down four) and 13 who are supplemental (no change).
Among Hispanic faculty, 52 are tenured or tenure-track (up six from 1993), 29 are lecturers (down two) and 13 are supplemental (up two).
There are seven tenured or tenure-track Native American faculty, one lecturer and no supplemental (no change relative to 1993).
Overall, while total instructional staff grew by 0.7 percent in the previous year, Hispanic faculty showed the largest percentage gain—6.8 percent. Asian American faculty increased by 1.5 percent, while there was no gain among Native American faculty and a 1.2 percent decline among African American faculty in the last year.
“I am pleased that we continue to increase our minority representation on the faculty, but am disappointed that the rate of growth has slowed,” says Gilbert R. Whitaker, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “We all need to redouble our efforts to assure that we have conducted effective, as well as exhaustive, searches to find candidates.
“I believe that we have much to offer faculty and that a more diverse faculty enriches our ability to learn and grow and serve.”
The 105 new minority faculty (59 Asian Americans, 24 Hispanics and 22 African Americans) represent the largest number in four years. Of these, 22 hold tenured or tenure-track positions, 36 are lecturers and 47 hold supplemental appointments.
The branch campuses at Dearborn and Flint collectively hired 24 new faculty of color (12 Asian American, six African American and six Hispanic), bringing the overall total for the U-M system to 129.
