UNDERRESPRESENTED MINORITIES IN
ACADEME
STANLEY C. ISRAEL, CHAIR, BOARD
TASK FORCE ON MINORITIES IN ACADEME
Diversity in both our
membership and in the chemical workforce is a core value of the American Chemical
Society. But when we look at the academic landscape, we do not
see a professoriat that reflects the diversity in our society. This
is particularly true at the top 50 universities. This year, the ACS
Board Task Force on Minorities in Academe was established to explore
the issue of the lack of underrepresented minorities on the faculty
of chemistry and chemical engineering departments, especially at the
top 50 academic institutions. I am chairing this task force, and
Joseph S. Francisco of Purdue University is vice chair.
ACS is concerned about this issue for
reasons of equity and because of predicted critical shortages in the
science, engineering, and technology workforce, coupled with the
impact of our changing national demographics on these shortages. A
recent survey of the gender and ethnic composition of faculty at the
top 50 chemistry and chemical engineering departments, conducted by
Donna J. Nelson of the University of Oklahoma, has sharpened our
concern (C&EN, June 4, 2001, page 67). The message
received by minority students attending these institutions seems
clear: "This is not a profession that looks like me."
It should be noted that the underrepresentation of
minorities in academe is not a new problem, but efforts to address
this issue over the past 10 or more years have had little or no
impact. We cannot afford to waste another 10 years.
The
underrepresentation of minorities in academe is not a new problem,
but efforts to address this issue over the past 10 or more years
have had little or no impact.
The task force acknowledges that the
underrepresentation of minorities occurs very early in the
educational pipeline, with different issues that need to be
addressed along that continuum. Because other groups within ACS are
exploring the elementary and secondary education levels, the task
force believes that its focus should be on higher education and has
agreed to center its deliberations on two fronts:
- Focus on the efforts of the top Ph.D.-granting
institutions in recruiting and retaining underrepresented
minorities.
- Focus on the role of individual faculty in
securing employment at a top Ph.D.-granting institution and
succeeding in that institution.
The task force agrees that it does not wish to
function as merely another ACS fact-finding group and believes that
the time to study the issue has long passed. We believe ACS should
demonstrate leadership and direction to the profession by
identifying and publicizing ways of addressing the issues of both
recruitment and retention through a series of specific action
recommendations. The group adopted the following vision statement to
guide its own work and, ultimately, the work of ACS:
The American Chemical Society recognizes the need
to develop fully the academic potential of all the nation's
citizens. The ACS will, therefore, develop and implement programs
that will increase the participation of underrepresented minorities
in the chemical academic community to a level that reflects their
representation in the country's population.
There was consensus that recommendations should
focus on the critical decision-making junctures along the path to an
academic career: the decision by the under- graduate to pursue
graduate work, by the graduate student to seek a career in academia,
by the new Ph.D. to find a postdoctoral position, and by the new
faculty member to persist through the tenure process.
It was also decided that the most efficient way to
develop a comprehensive set of recommendations was to form working
groups that would focus on the following topics: educational
programs and services; data availability and dissemination; the
development of partnerships within, across, and beyond the
profession; the role of mentoring; the use of financial rewards to
catalyze action; and the reshaping of boards and other bodies of
leadership within the profession.
I would particularly like to draw your attention to
the working group focusing on partnerships. This will not be an
undertaking in which ACS will be working alone, but rather will be
an effort that requires collaborating with many different partners:
professional societies, advocacy groups, academic institutions, and
accrediting bodies, to name the most obvious. Initially, of course,
the most important collaboration will be with you, our
membership.
We need and solicit your input as we attempt to
shape our final recommendations to the ACS Board of Directors. The
purpose of my writing this comment is not only to publicize the
efforts of the task force but, most important, to seek your advice,
assistance, ideas, and support as we proceed. How can ACS most
effectively address this issue? Please send your ideas to
s_israel@acs.org.
It is expected that a final set of recommendations
will be presented to the ACS Board at its August meeting in Boston.
We need to hear from you as soon as possible. Together, we can have
a major impact on this problem and ensure a vital and diverse
academic community into the future.
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