Retaining Diverse Faculty and Staff at the University of Louisville

Introduction

The University of Louisville is a public institution that instructs over 22,000 undergraduate and graduate students and employs nearly 7,000 individuals (“About the University of Louisville,” 2020). As part of its new strategic plan, the University of Louisville President Neeli Bendapudi has stressed that the University of Louisville will serve as “a great place to work” (“2019-2022 Strategic Plan”, 2019, p. 9). As part of this vision, the University of Louisville strives to “become an employer of choice that intentionally attracts and retains the most talented and diverse faculty and staff through meaningful and structured commitment to employee success” (“2019-2022 Strategic Plan”, 2019, p. 32). However, recent events that have transpired show that the University of Louisville is far from reaching its goal of retaining a diverse group of faculty and staff members.

Organizational Type

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifies the University of Louisville as a Research 1 doctoral university that performs a very high amount of research activity (“About the University of Louisville,” 2020). According to the About the University of Louisville webpage (2020), the institution pursues excellence and inclusiveness through:

1) Teaching diverse undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in order to develop engaged citizens, leaders, and scholars

2) Practicing and applying research, scholarship, and creative activity

3) Providing engaged service and outreach that improve the quality of life for local and global communities (para. 3).

Additionally, the University of Louisville is committed to “achieving preeminence as a nationally recognized metropolitan research university” (“About the University of Louisville,”

2020, para. 4). In the fall of 2019, 22,684 total students attended the institution, consisting of over 16,000 undergraduate students and nearly 6,000 graduate students (“About the University of Louisville,” 2020). 53.3 percent of all students identify as female, and 47.7 percent of students identify as male (“About the University of Louisville,” 2020). For race and ethnicity, 68.63 percent of students who attend the University of Louisville are White, 11.07 percent are African American, and the remaining 20.3 percent of students are classified as “all other minorities” (“About the University of Louisville,” 2020).

According to the University of Louisville Diversity Plan 2017-2021 (2017), in 2016, 2,439 total faculty members worked at the institution with 55.7 percent of faculty identified as male and 44.3 percent of faculty identified as female. The racial breakdown of faculty indicates 76.0 percent of faculty identified as white and 6.0 percent as African American, leaving 18.0 percent for all other minorities (“University of Louisville Diversity Plan 2017-2021,” 2017). Furthermore, only 9.0 percent of faculty members identified as non-white females, and 3.6 percent of faculty members identified as African American females (“University of Louisville Diversity Plan 2017-2021,” 2017). When observing the 4,534 professional and classified staff members who worked at the University of Louisville in 2017, 60.5 percent of all staff identified as female and 39.5 percent of all staff members identified as male (“University of Louisville Diversity Plan 2017-2021,” 2017). With respect to race, 73.7 percent of staff members racially identified as white and 12.7 percent identified as African American, leaving 13.6 percent for all other minorities (“University of Louisville Diversity Plan 2017-2021,” 2017). Additionally, only 14.1 percent of classified and professional staff members identified as non-white females, and 7.7 percent of staff members identified as African American females (“University of Louisville Diversity Plan 2017-2021,” 2017).

Structure

Within the University of Louisville, the Office of Diversity and Equity oversee diversity matters related to students, faculty, and staff members. The Office of Diversity and Equity has programs within specific academic departments, such as the Arts and Sciences International, Diversity, and Engagement programs (“Departments and Organizations,” 2020). Additionally, the Office of the Provost encourages specific academic departments to maintain and develop diversity offices and departments. Each academic unit is required to have its own faculty mentoring program, and the Office of the Provost requests each dean to provide all new faculty members with a mentor during their first year at the institution (“University of Louisville Diversity Plan 2017-2021,” 2017). The Office of the Provost also provides a year-long professional development series for all faculty members, including workshops on topics like “Facilitating Authentic Conversations About Race in the Classroom” (“University of Louisville Diversity Plan 2017-2021,” 2017, p. 24).

Furthermore, the Office of Diversity and Equity oversee multiple programs and departments through the Office of the Provost. These programs and departments include the Disability Resource Center, the PEACC Program, and TRIO Student Support Services (“Departments and Organizations,” 2020). The Office of Diversity and Equity also provides faculty and staff members with Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s) that support the University of Louisville’s vision to serve as a great place to work (“Faculty and Staff,” 2020). The goal of ERGs is to promote an inclusive environment in which all employees at the institution have the opportunity to network, create a sense of community, and voice concerns to other trusted faculty and staff members (“Faculty and Staff,” 2020). Examples of these ERGs include the Black Faculty Staff Association, the LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Association, Young and Emerging Professionals, and the University of Louisville Women’s Network (“Faculty and Staff,” 2020).

Administrative Problem Statement

Despite all the resources in place to help recruit, mentor, and retain talented employees of all backgrounds, the University of Louisville struggles in retaining a diverse group of faculty and staff members. As the students at the University of Louisville become more diverse, the number of minority faculty members are not increasing at the same rate. According to an internal study requested by the Board of Trustees, the University of Louisville has only slightly increased the number of minority faculty at the institution from 2013-2018 (Krauth, 2019). Additionally, African American faculty saw the least amount of growth of any race, only seeing representation increase from 5.6 percent in 2013 to 5.8 percent in 2018, while African American students made up nearly 11 percent of the University of Louisville’s Fall 2018 freshman class (Krauth, 2019).

To make matters worse, a significant exodus of African American professors has recently occurred at the University of Louisville (Brown, 2019). During 2013-2017, 38 African American faculty members left the University of Louisville (Brown, 2019). Furthermore, from January to October 2018, an additional 17 African American professors left the institution, 12 of which were on a tenure track (Krauth, 2019). University of Louisville Provost Beth Boehm conveyed that many of the professors left for better opportunities at other universities or in the private sector, and only a few faculty of color left the institution because of a negative environment (Krauth, 2019). However, Brown (2019) reports that many of these faculty members resigned, and that their reasons included experiencing racist or discriminatory behavior with no course of action taken to correct the issue taken, and that they “did not feel valued or appreciated” (para. 3). These reports are more in-line with what Dr. Ricky Jones, chair of the University of Louisville Pan African Studies department, has recently experienced at the institution. Jones (2020) states, “Despite the school’s rosy rhetoric, it has all but abandoned black faculty and staff” (para. 8). According to Jones (2020), many African American faculty and staff members have personally reported to him that they felt unappreciated, unsupported, or mistreated. Despite Jones raising these issues to leadership at the University of Louisville, they have provided no substantial course of action to address these issues, only making the situation worse (Jones, 2020).

Furthermore, many LGBTQ faculty and staff members at the University of Louisville do not believe the institution has taken enough steps to create an inclusive environment. The LGBTQ community recently experienced a lack of institutional support after a student placed anti-gay literature in an Introduction to LGBTQ Issues class and proceeded to stand outside of the classroom as students entered (Jones, 2020). Although the professor of the course asked the student to leave, the individual returned to the next class, disturbing the professor and students (Jones, 2020). With student affairs professionals deciding the issue pertained to free speech, they initially determined that the student could return to class if they provided 48 hours' notice (Jones, 2020). Additionally, officials concluded the student was mentally stable because the individual “is married and recently closed on a house” (Jones, 2020, para. 6). Only after backlash from faculty and staff members did leadership determine that the student could not return to the class in any fashion.

A student-affairs professional within the department of Strategic Enrollment and Student Success who identifies as part of the LGBTQ community believes that campus leaders handle issues pertaining to the LGBTQ community in a manner that helps create positive publicity at the institution (Anonymous, personal communication, March 11, 2020). This individual wished to remain anonymous, fearful of potential repercussions that could occur if administrators traced these responses back to them. Furthermore, this individual first thought that the University of Louisville was very inclusive for LGBTQ individuals. Still, after recent events that have occurred on campus, they believe that leadership is not genuinely concerned about members of the LGBTQ community, but rather exploit the community for financial and political gains (Anonymous, personal communication, March 11, 2020). Last, this individual believes that the institution ineffectively utilizes diversity training and programs to train faculty and staff. This individual has only attended non-university sanctioned diversity training in which they were not required to attend (Anonymous, personal communication, March 11, 2020). If the University of Louisville required its employees to participate in university-sanctioned diversity training, this individual believes it would have a significant impact on helping all staff members feel valued (Anonymous, personal communication, March 11, 2020). As a result, improved diversity training within the institution could help the University of Louisville retain a diverse group of faculty and staff.

Political Framework

As with many colleges and universities, the political structure at the University of Louisville plays a crucial part in how the institution functions and makes decisions. This political framework is put into motion by having different coalitions of students, faculty, and staff members bargaining, compromising and reaching agreements that they believe put the members of their group at an advantage or in the best possible situation (Birnbaum, 1988). The members of these coalitions have their own interests and preferences, with perceptions of the institution that differ from other groups on campus (Birnbaum, 1988). Examples of these coalition groups include faculty from academic departments, student affairs organizations, or ERGs such as the Black Faculty Staff Association and the LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Association (Birnbaum, 1988). As a result of the interactions that occur with individuals in these coalition groups, the outcomes have helped shaped different perspectives as to why the University of Louisville cannot retain a diverse group of faculty and staff members.

Regarding the significant departure of African American professors at the University of Louisville, individuals within different coalitions make certain decisions that they believe are best for their group. As a result, the choices that campus leaders and administrators make often have underlying political motives. University of Louisville Provost Beth Boehm maintains the perspective that many African American professors have left the university for better opportunities, not due to an adverse campus climate (Krauth, 2019). This perspective could potentially benefit campus leaders, as this answer helps to maintain a status quo at the university by saying that this issue is not significant, rather than admitting that the exodus of African American professors is a significant issue that developed under their watch. If campus leadership were to reveal the issues that this exodus has created and the lack of action to fix the problem, they would risk a decrease of support from a significant portion of faculty/staff members, members of the Louisville community, and alumni of the institution. This reactive, rather than proactive approach, helped maintain and build important relationships with many different coalition groups on campus.

When focusing specifically on the LGBTQ community at the University of Louisville, many individuals believe that it is one of the most LGBTQ friendly campuses in the south due to the institution’s multiple awards (Greer, 2018). However, several individuals have a different perspective on how the institution treats members of its LGBTQ community. Jones (2020) called the institution a fear factory where individuals are afraid to speak openly about troubling issues because of fear of reprisals. Jones (2020) stated that “UofL current leadership needs to get serious about diversity, humanity, and decency or stop pretending that it values them” (para. 18). These statements by Dr. Jones contains politically charged language in hopes of getting campus leadership to react to the underlying issues impacting the LGBTQ community at the University of Louisville. One administrator in the LGBTQ community also shares the perspective that they are just part of a plan meant to create political goodwill and that the institution does not value them as individuals. The individual said, “At first I thought I was part of something really special, then I realized that I served as nothing more as a pawn to help UofL increase enrollment numbers, fundraising dollars and to attract new professionals to the institution, just for the cycle to start over again” (Anonymous, personal communication, March 11, 2020).

As a result of these different perspectives and actions taken by members of different coalition groups, the outcomes of these actions often represent compromises (Birnbaum, 1988). When individuals or groups reach a compromise, the actual result is not the intended or preferred outcome of any participants involved in the decision-making process (Birnbaum, 1988). When referring to the University of Louisville struggling to retain a diverse group of faculty and staff members, it is unlikely that the institution does not want a diverse group of faculty and staff members on campus. However, based on the political environment that these coalitions operate in, it is likely that compromises made by specific coalitions created a climate where the University of Louisville cannot retain diverse faculty and staff on accident. Additionally, change within the political environment is often not as radical as the level of debate might imply (Birnbaum, 1988). Even though individuals such as Dr. Jones use politically charged rhetoric, such as calling the University of Louisville a fear factory, institutional progress does not occur at the rate that this rhetoric suggests. Instead, most change occurs incrementally, explaining that

while UofL has made minor progress in retaining diverse faculty and staff, it is not quick enough for some individuals or coalitions on campus (Birnbaum, 1988).

Human Resource Framework

From a human resource perspective, higher education institutions with a philosophy of putting employees first benefit from a talented, motivated, and loyal workforce (Bolman & Deal, 2017). According to Bolman and Deal (2017), basic human resource strategies that take after this philosophy include hiring the right people, keeping these individuals, investing in these individuals, empowering them, and promoting diversity. Having these philosophies in place within a higher education institution provides direction, but it takes practices to make these philosophies operational (Bolman & Deal, 2017). Without having all of these human resource philosophies in place, there is little direction for faculty and staff members to follow. Based on the recent events that have occurred at the University of Louisville, it is clear that the institution struggles with promoting diversity. Additionally, the University of Louisville does not practice some of these other human resource philosophies, adversely impacting the institution’s ability to retain a diverse group of faculty and staff members.

One philosophical practice listed by Bolman and Deal (2017) not in place at the University of Louisville is keeping the people that the institution initially hired. University of Louisville Provost Beth Boehm has conveyed that African American professors are leaving the institution because they receive better opportunities at other universities or in the private sector (Krauth, 2019). If what Provost Boehm said is true, it is likely that the University of Louisville is not providing enough opportunities for advancement within the institution for minority faculty and staff members (Bolman & Deal, 2017). This reality is true for Jones (2020) who stated, “It has become clear, however, that I will have to leave U of L if I wish to hold a higher position outside my department. I will never be tapped to serve as dean, provost or vice president of this” (para. 11). As a result, it is possible that these individuals did not feel the ability to move up through the institution, resulting in them taking new jobs outside of the University of Louisville.

Another human resource philosophical practice listed by Bolman and Deal (2017) not in place at the University of Louisville is empowering employees within the workplace. To empower employees in the workplace, Bolman and Deal (2017) conveyed that higher education institutions must provide support for all employees and encourage individuals to participate in active processes to help redesign the workplace. Jones (2020) implies that many minority faculty and staff members within the University of Louisville do not feel supported based on the stance that campus leadership took on the recent events that have occurred within the institution. Consequently, African American and LGBTQ faculty and staff members fear of publicly speaking out against these issues, making it difficult for these individuals to participate in active processes to help redesign the workplace.

Conclusion

Despite all of the recent events that have negatively impacted minoritized individuals at the University of Louisville, the institution still has the opportunity to retain a diverse group of faculty and staff members. In the political framework, campus leaders must work towards creating an environment in which outcomes take a proactive approach to retaining diverse faculty and staff. If campus leaders to continue to operate in the same political climate, it is unlikely that the University of Louisville will make significant progress in solving this issue. In the human resource framework, the University of Louisville must provide opportunities for minoritized individuals to move up through the institution and freely speak out against current issues. If the institution takes these actions, individuals will likely feel empowered to make a difference, increasing the likelihood that the institution can retain these individuals. If the University of Louisville better understands the political and human resource environment that it operates in, not only will the institution hire more diverse faculty and staff members, the institution will also have the ability to retain these talented individuals.

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References

About the University of Louisville. (March 9, 2020). Retrieved from https://louisville.edu/about.

Birnbaum, R. (1988). How colleges work. San Francisco: Josey-Bass.

Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. 6th edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Brown, Q. (2019). U of L students need to take diversity more seriously. Retrieved from https://www.louisvillecardinal.com/2019/02/u-of-l-students-need-to-take-diversity-more-seriously/.

Departments and Organizations. (March 9, 2020). Retrieved from https://louisville.edu/diversity/ departments-organizations.

Faculty and Staff. (March 10, 2020). Retrieved from https://louisville.edu/diversity/resources/ facultystaff.

Greer, C. T. (2018). How U of L landed on 3 lists of LGBT-friendly universities. Retrieved from https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2018/09/07/how-u-of-l-landed-on-3-lists-of-lgbt-friendly.html

Jones, R. L. (2020). U of L is a fear factory where leaders talk diversity but don’t take action. Retrieved from https://www.courier-journal.com/story/opinion/2020/02/05/university-louisville-must-really-act-diversity-lgbtq-issues/4665187002/.

Krauth, O. (2019). UofL’s faculty diversity not keeping pace with student body. Retrieved from https://louisvillefuture.com/archived-news/uofls-faculty-diversity-not-keeping-pace-with-student-body/.

University of Louisville Diversity Plan 2017-2021. (2017). Retrieved from http://louisville.edu/diversity/diversitypolicy/diversityplan/ULDiversityPla