Faculty Senate to meet Tuesday to discuss diversifying, forums
March 22, 2021
Faculty Senate will meet Tuesday afternoon.
The Senate will give feedback on the Quality Initiative Proposal that is focused on diversifying Eastern’s faculty and staff.
According to a description of the initiative on Eastern’s website, “The primary goal of the project is to increase student success (e.g., retention, academic achievement, and graduate rates) by increasing the diversity of EIU’s faculty and staff to levels that are representative of the increasing diversity of the institution’s student population.”
According to research in a draft of findings by subcommittees focused on diversification, Eastern currently has the lowest percentage of employees from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, totaled across all employee classifications.
“At Eastern, the largest increase in underrepresented students has been in those who identify as African American (7% in 2005 to 14.7% in 2020) and Hispanic (2% in 2005 to 11.7% in 2020). Though the student demographics have been changing, the faculty and staff populations have remained predominantly White, creating a growing racial gap between students and those who serve them,” according to the proposal. “This increasing disparity creates an urgent need for the institution to take more aggressive action to create an organization that, both in spirit and in visible presence of people of color in positions of power, reflect our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity.”
The Senate will also hear from Vice President of University Advancement and Chair of the Naming Committee Angie Campbell during its meeting.
A forum for faculty regarding the potential renaming of Douglas Hall will be held via Zoom Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Committee reports will be given on the Executive Committee, Elections and Nominations, the Student Senate, the Student and Staff Relations Committee, the Awards Committee and the Faculty Forum Committee. The committee will also hear from Provost Jay Gatrell and Faculty Senate Chair Don Holly.
Corryn Brock can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
