A New Hybrid Model for Faculty Hiring Workshops

Abstract

This paper reports on a new model for faculty hiring workshops involving three components. The first part (Part 1) of the work is an asynchronous, self-guided course that includes video reflections and commentaries from some of our own colleagues about inclusive excellence, hiring legalities, and departmental culture. The second part (Part 2) is a virtual 90-minute interactive session with breakout room discussions overseen by a facilitator. The last part (Part 3) is a monthly offering of optional one-hour discussion sessions to answer additional questions, support university-wide conversations and allow participants to probe more deeply into diversity hiring opportunities and challenges. To evaluate the workshops, we administered a survey immediately following Part 2 and later conducted interviews with participants at the conclusion of their faculty search.  Survey results show that nearly all elements of the workshops were well-received and participants reported feeling confident in their understanding of inclusive excellence, legal issues associated with hiring, and the potential for unintended bias in reviewing candidate files. The paper also provides an analysis of the interview and survey data as well as some conclusions about the impact of these new efforts on inclusive hiring.