Mission

Boston University must focus more attention on faculty diversity and increase the proportion of under-represented minorities on our faculty. To this end, the Task Force on Faculty Diversity & Inclusion is part of a multifaceted effort that will consider new approaches to faculty recruitment and retention and the fostering of a more inclusive community. The Task Force is charged with facilitating a set of University-wide discussions about how Boston University can become the diverse, inclusive community of faculty we envision, and developing recommendations that will help us achieve this goal.

The goals of the Task Force are as follows:

1. Promote constructive awareness of the opportunities and challenges faced by Boston University in its efforts to recruit and retain an excellent and diverse faculty. This endeavor should include forums for discussions with faculty from across the University so that we may learn from their experiences about our current climate for faculty diversity and inclusion. It is our hope that, through these meetings, the efforts of the Task Force will be highly visible and will significantly increase the level of dialogue on our campuses about this important objective.
2. Gather information about effective practices from other major research universities that are also seeking to recruit and retain an excellent and diverse faculty and assess the feasibility of these practices for adoption at Boston University. In this effort, it will be important to account for the differences in systems for faculty recruitment, mentoring, and evaluation at different research universities, as well as for different practices among Boston University’s schools and colleges.
3. Suggest specific ways we can elevate the importance of faculty diversity and inclusiveness at Boston University, including recommending strategies to implement promising approaches toward diversifying our student body and faculty, with a goal of enhancing our culture of inclusiveness.