Campus more diverse than decade ago, but challenges remain, vice provost reports

Cornell has made significant strides in the past decade in attracting, hiring and retaining women and minorities, reported Robert L. Harris Jr., vice provost for diversity and faculty development, in his ninth and final report on the university's progress toward diversity and inclusion.

Harris, who is returning to research and teaching, delivered the report, and received words of thanks from board members for his years of service as vice provost, during the open session of the Cornell Board of Trustees meeting, May 23.

Among the report's findings:

The total number of women on the faculty has grown to 420 from 304 over the past decade, an increase of more than 38 percent, while the faculty as a whole has grown only about 7 percent to 1,637. As a result, today women make up more than 25 percent of the faculty, compared with about 19 percent a decade ago.

Every college, except the Hotel School and the Johnson School, has a higher percentage of women faculty members than a decade ago. (The Johnson School now has more women on its faculty, but the increase has been outpaced by growth in total faculty size, to 59 from 44.)

The number of minority faculty has grown 52 percent, to 243 from 160, in the past decade. The number of black faculty members has increased to 53 from 39 (36 percent increase); Asian faculty to 140 from 91 (54 percent increase); Hispanic faculty to 41 from 25 (64 percent increase); and Native American faculty to nine from five (80 percent increase).

Of new tenure-track appointments, 24.1 percent this academic year have been minorities, down from 26.6 percent last year. However, 21.6 percent of promotions and appointments to tenure this year have been to minorities, up from 15.3 percent last year.

For women and minorities in staff and administrative positions, progress has also been mixed. The percentage of women in academic nonfaculty positions remained steady at about 44 percent over the last two years; the number and percentage of minority academic nonfaculty have increased overall, but the percentage of black academic nonfaculty members dropped in 2007 to its lowest percentage over the last decade.

Women make up 48.9 percent of undergraduates this year, compared with 49.1 percent last year. Of graduate students, the percentage of women has grown to 42 percent this year from 41.3 percent last year.

The percentage of minority undergraduates grew to 27.5 percent this year from 27.1 percent last year. Cornell ranks 11th of 12 Ivy Plus schools in percent of minority undergraduate enrollment, but Harris noted that the university fares better when compared with similarly sized research institutions such as the University of Virginia, the University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon.

The report also cites recent university initiatives -- many stemming from the 2007 Teagle Foundation Report, "Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in College Completion and Achievement: What Works and Why," written by David Harris, Cornell deputy vice provost. The report moves beyond what Robert Harris called "structural diversity" to focus on "interactional diversity" -- efforts at increasing dialogue and facilitating understanding within the campus community.

Among those initiatives, "Breaking Bread" gathers members of diverse student organizations for networking and cross-cultural exchange while they prepare meals together; "Feedback" encourages an open dialogue among members of the campus community through The Cornell Daily Sun; and an upcoming Cornell Faculty Institute for Diversity will focus on bringing diverse perspectives and experiences into courses across the disciplines.

Robert Harris' office also works closely with the Cornell University National Science Foundation Advance Office to boost recruitment and retention of women and minority faculty in the sciences and engineering.

Robert Harris, a professor of African-American history, will return to his faculty position at the Africana Studies and Research Center in July after eight years in the vice provost position. At the close of his report to the board, trustees unanimously elected him to the position of vice provost emeritus.

Board of trustees chair Peter Meinig opened the session with a resolution honoring the late Stephen H. Weiss '57, a presidential councillor, board-elected member of the Cornell Board of Trustees from 1973 to 1997, and board of trustees chair from 1989-1997. Weiss, whose many contributions included a leading role in the creation of the Weill Cornell Medical College Board of Overseers in 1980, died April 16 at age 72.

Media Contact

Media Relations Office