The University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education and Human Development engaged last spring in a cluster hire, resulting in the hiring of three tenure-track faculty focused on interdisciplinary research around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ).
The hires are Dr. Amanda McLeroy, an assistant professor in counseling and human development; Dr. Sloan Okrey, an assistant professor in counseling and human development; and Dr. Tiffany Steele, an assistant professor in educational leadership.
“Diversity of thought, diversity of knowledge, and diversity of lived experiences only serve to enhance our research and the educational experiences of our students,” said Dr. David Figlio, provost at the University of Rochester. “It’s more than meeting baseline standards for equity and inclusion. It’s about recognizing that truly preparing our graduates for the world and solving some of our society’s most pressing problems can only be done when there is a range of perspectives and a wealth of ideas.”
This was Rochester’s first cluster hire.
Cluster hiring can look differently, but it generally involves hiring multiple faculty for one or more departments based on shared interdisciplinary research goals. According to a 2015 Faculty Cluster Hiring for Diversity and Institutional Climate study by the Urban Universities for HEALTH, cluster hiring around an interdisciplinary theme has positively impacted diversity, scholarship, and institutional climate.
