The Executive Slate met today with Kenneth Warren, Deputy Provost for Minority Affairs and Research and Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature.

We spoke about the efforts that Mr. Warren has made so far in working to hire a more diverse faculty.  These efforts include reaching out to an appropriately diverse applicant pool and working towards a culture shift within departments that values diversity as an intrinsic part of the Chicago Academic Experience.  These efforts include mid-year monitoring of hiring practices and distributing information to faculty about the University’s committment in this field.

A fundamental part of the process of creating a more diverse universe of intellectuals in higher education starts at the undergraduate level–making sure that undergraduates have the resources to pursue research, which often leads to a career in academia.

In his comments at last weeks student discussion President Zimmer emphasized the importance of a diverse campus community in promoting a thriving intellectual atmosphere.  This is the first step in that direction, but plenty of work remains to be done!

-Matt