A local university is getting help in its efforts to diversify.
Oglethorpe University was awarded a $500K grant to hire diverse faculty members. Glenn Sharfman, university provost, explained the Brookhaven school’s diverse student body is what encouraged them to hire new faculty.
“Our goal is for our faculty to better reflect our students,” said Sharfman. “This grant will help us move toward that goal significantly."
The university’s current faculty is 82 percent white, 8 percent Asian, 6 percent black, and 3 percent Hispanic. The university’s student body is 38 percent white, 24 percent black, and 11 percent Hispanic , with the remainder identifying as multiracial or not identifying.
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According to a spokesperson for the university, the university will be advertising faculty positions in diverse higher education publications to attract candidates.
Sharfman says Oglethorpe hopes to increase the amount of diverse faculty members, but they have no quota for how many people they intend to hire.
“We would be disappointed if this grant produced no extra diversity,” said Sharfman. “I would like all of these searches to find a successful diverse candidate.”
Money for the grant comes from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, an organization focused on building diversity in schools. Oglethorpe was invited to apply for the grant after previously receiving a three-year Mellon grant that focused on diversifying its curriculum.
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