Dive Brief:
- A controversial University of Louisville ad seeking an assistant professorship reserved for "non-white, non-Asian Ph.D.s" was abruptly deleted from a jobs site, according to Inside Higher Education.
- At issue is whether or not an academic department specifically can reserve a position for an underrepresented minority candidate in order to try and bring diversity to the department, the article reports.
- While this happened in the academic arena, it brings to light an interesting issue concerning almost every employer's desire to create a more diverse workplace.
Dive Insight:
The questionable post on HigherEdJobs was fairly typical, seeking applicants "with a Ph.D. in physics or a related area, a strong research record and a passion for teaching." It also included this statement: "The Department of Physics and Astronomy announces a tenure-track assistant professor position that will be filled by an African-American, Hispanic American or a Native American Indian [sic]," along with a standard equal employment opportunity statement, according to the article.
Inside Higher Educaiton reports that the ad was removed after the department received a complaint that the preferences didn’t include applicants with disabilities.
Several experts in the article questioned the targeted nature of the ad and the concept of disallowing specific ethnic groups from consideration as a way to boost diversity. Legally, said one expert, the ad likely violated federal and state laws governing equal opportunity including Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In essence, employers seeking to boost diversity should probably take the more traditional path of opening up the candidate pool to include more underrepresented minorities, said another expert.
