The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee is pleased to announce a call for Diversity Faculty Fellows who will work in tandem on college diversity goals. We seek Faculty Fellows who can help address the specific needs of the humanities and natural sciences divisions within the college, beginning January 1, 2022.
They will join Diversity Faculty Fellows already in place representing the arts (Althea Murphy-Price) and social sciences (Kandace Hollenbach) divisions of the college to address and advance the aims of diversity and inclusion.
The College of Arts and Sciences is highly committed to diversity and inclusion. It is with these aims in mind that this position focus on assisting and advising units in their diversity efforts and improving diverse graduate student recruitment and retention. As stated in our Strategic Plan, we aim to “cultivate an institutional climate that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion within the college” and to “actively promote and facilitate inclusion of underrepresented groups by building an institutional structure to retain and promote a diverse faculty, staff, and student body.”
Eligibility
All faculty are eligible for these positions. There is a preference for persons that already have connections with HBCUs and/or other minority-serving institutions.
Expectations and Compensation
The Diversity Fellows are eligible for a stipend to assist with personal research/creative activity and course release (dependent on current teaching expectation), as well as programming and travel funding. Potential applicants may contact the college for more information. The Fellows would serve in the position for two years (with the option to renew). We anticipate the position to require 5-10 hours per week during the academic year. The role of the Faculty Fellow does not include planning or actuating programming in divisions or departments.
We anticipate the Fellow working on the following key initiatives:
- Work with departments within their discipline area in the college to address retention of faculty, especially from minority groups.
- Work with departments within their discipline area in the college to encourage exchanges, collaborations, create connections, and/or coordinate visits to regional HBCU’s (and nearby institutions with moderate BIPOC populations) to establish/enhance relationships and increase the number of applications from diverse populations to our graduate programs.
- Work with departments within their discipline area to establish peer mentoring groups that promote cohesion and morale among diverse student groups.
The Fellow would work closely with Angie Batey, associate dean of diversity and inclusion, and Todd Moore, associate dean of academic programs, to fulfill the short-term initiatives described above. They will join Diversity Faculty Fellows already in place representing the Arts and Social Sciences divisions of the College to address and advance the aims of diversity and inclusion. There is also the potential to develop long-terms goals for the position, including organizing formal visits to UT by potential graduate students from HBCU’s and/or other minority-serving institutions to further promote ties with these institutions and increase the number of diverse graduate students.
Applications
Interested faculty members should submit the following to tvolkoda@utk.edu in a single pdf file by September 15, 2021:
- Letter of interest (no more than two pages) describing how their background and skills are a potential fit for this opportunity
- Curriculum vita
- Endorsement letter from their department chair