The University of South Carolina’s (USC) Black Faculty Caucus is calling on the school to prioritize diverse hires and faculty amid concerns about Black faculty and administrators leaving, The State reported.
“We are concerned that the university’s commitment to Black faculty and administration is rhetorical and not supported with action,” the caucus said in Aug. 30 letter addressed to USC President Dr. Michael Amiridis and Provost Dr. Donna Arnett.
In the letter, the caucus pointed out a pattern of Black faculty leaving the school and candidates of color being passed up for leadership roles. It brought up several searches in which Black candidates, despite being well-qualified, were not chosen.
The letter noted how Black faculty have been leaving USC, with eight of the 12 faculty that left the College of Arts and Sciences following the 2021-2022 academic year being Black. There are no Black women and only five Black men in USC’s 54 leadership positions, and the school has no Black deans, the letter read.
Arnett said that she was looking into pathways for faculty to be promoted from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure and from associate professor to full professor, she said.
She is also launching a program for minority faculty to address USC’s promotion and tenure barriers.
