In the month of January, a target of goal 3 of President Daniel Mahony’s Winthrop Plan was reached six years ahead of schedule. Goal 3 focuses on hiring and retaining a diverse faculty and staff. In the State of the University address in the fall, Mahony reported that the percentage of diversity among faculty and managerial staff was on target at 18 percent for fall 2018.
On Friday, Jan. 25, Mahony announced that diversity among staff has increased to 21 percent, exceeding the stretch target of 20 percent for fall 2025. This achievement marks the first time a stretch target goal for the Winthrop Plan has been reached.
Students like Marshari Adams, a freshman musical theatre major, enjoy seeing faculty diversity on campus because they feel represented.
“It’s easier to relate to people who are the same color as you or have the same culture as you, so if you see a faculty member that is the same as you, it’s easier to talk to them about things and it’s easier to relate to the things that they’re saying,” Adams said.
Winthrop’s percentage of diversity among students currently sits at 38 percent. Adams said faculty diversity should parallel this figure.
“If we have a diverse school, we should have diverse faculty members,” Adams said.
Quest Morris, a sophomore education major, said faculty diversity is necessary for students to see because it inspires them.
“I feel like it’s definitely needed, especially in the field that a lot of students plan on going in. If you always know that it’s going to be a white-dominated area, you’re not going to really think you’ll be able to perform as well as you would be able to if somebody who looked like you performed well,” Morris said.
Morris said he is always excited to see people of color in the educational field because it is dominated primarily by white women.
“When I am able to go into my classes and see that it’s being taught, not necessarily by a black man, but a black woman, someone who has the same color skin as I do, someone who has similar background, someone who can relate to me, that’s a big thing. That makes me want to work even harder, personally,” Morris said.
Morris also said that while diversity in faculty is an important goal to strive for, he hopes that Winthrop will hire new employees based on their qualifications as well as diversity.
“I feel like it should always be a goal that we have. But also keep in mind that those people hiring a diverse group of people, those people also have to be qualified. I don’t want it to necessarily be where we have all this diversity just to meet a quota or just to make us look good and then the quality isn’t there,” Morris said.
Katie Marcelino, a freshman theatre major, said seeing a diverse faculty is encouraging for students of color to see.
“Diversity brings a variety of perspectives that, in turn, brings innovative concepts and a more constant flow of creativity and efficiency, which Winthrop definitely benefits from. As a person of color, it’s nice to see minorities becoming increasingly represented, and I hope the percentage continues to rise,” Marcelino said.
