Syracuse University is funding a new hiring initiative to increase faculty diversity, the university announced Friday. 

The Diversity Opportunity Hires initiative will support the university’s efforts to hire teaching and research faculty from diverse backgrounds through its signature and cluster hires programs, according to an SU News release. The programs aim to foster collaboration between faculty from different academic and research disciplines. 

Nearly 150 faculty members signed a letter in November criticizing SU’s Cluster Hires Initiative for deprioritizing the hiring of diverse faculty. The letter was written in response to a series of racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related incidents that have occurred on or near SU since early November. 

Chancellor Kent Syverud addressed the need to incentivize the hiring of faculty from underrepresented groups in his annual Winter Message on Monday. 

SU’s Invest Syracuse Initiative will support the cost of the opportunity hires as a financial incentive, according to the release. The opportunity hires will also offer rotating funds through the Office of Academic Affairs to support diverse faculty hires in all schools and colleges, even those not involved in the Cluster Hires Initiative.

The Office of Faculty Affairs has also created a plan to encourage diversity and inclusion within faculty recruitment, retention and development. 

The recruitment plan will support 10 to 15 new positions, according to the release. The Office of Academic Affairs will split the funding with the faculty’s school or college. The funding will renew about every three years.

#NotAgainSU, a black student-led movement, called for more diverse faculty in its list of 19 demands presented to Chancellor Kent Syverud in November. The movement formed amid the series of hate crimes and bias-related incidents.

Published on January 17, 2020 at 4:56 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan