In pursuit of diversity

Two former reporters' minority status helped land them full-time teaching jobs at Southeast Missouri State University this fall, even though they fell short of the standard requirements for faculty jobs.

The hirings reflect the school's commitment to increased diversity in all departments, officials say. Southeast has come under scrutiny from an accrediting organization whose review team last year said the school didn't have enough minority faculty and staff.

The North Central Association of Colleges and Universities reaccredited Southeast for 10 years, but the review team said the school needs to "aggressively" work to hire more minorities.

Tamara Zellars Buck and Cindie Jeter, both hired this year as the only minority faculty members in a 16-member department of communication, have bachelor's degrees. Southeast routinely requires entry-level instructors to have completed all but their dissertations for their doctorates before being hired.

Buck, who is black, is a former Southeast Missourian education reporter. Jeter, who is half Cherokee, is a former KZIM radio news reporter. Both women are teaching news writing.

School officials confirm such allowances wouldn't be made for white male candidates, but they defend the hirings. They say it's hard to find minority applicants, particularly for faculty positions, but such teachers are vital for preparing students for a diverse world. They are writing a plan to attract more minority instructors.

Minorities are in demand nationwide as colleges and businesses look to bring more diversity to their workforce.

And it's not getting any easier. Despite efforts in recent years to improve diversity, minorities account for only 10.5 percent of Southeast Missouri State University's 1,000-plus full-time employees, which includes both teaching and non-teaching staff. The university compiled the numbers this month for an annual report.

Southeast has 115 minority employees, including 76 blacks. That's up 17 from a year ago. The number of white employees rose by 10 during the same period.

Among faculty, there's even less diversity than a year ago. Southeast has 366 white faculty this year, up 15 from a year ago. Southeast has only 43 minority faculty members.

Building a pool

James La Cour is assistant to the president for equity issues at Southeast and oversees the university's efforts to boost minority hiring.

"We are not going to increase our numbers by just doing business as usual," he said.

But the university won't pay higher salaries to get minority employees. "That is not reasonable to do. All you are going to do is create problems for yourself down the road with majority faculty," La Cour said.

Getting minorities in the pool of the applicants is the key, school officials said. Even then, they say, the goal is to hire the best applicant.

Southeast has advertised in minority publications to get more minority applicants. But contacts among minority professionals in higher education often is a bigger factor, school officials and minority faculty say.

"I think we are making progress," said Ken Dobbins, Southeast president. He'd like to see Southeast's workforce reflect the ethnic and racial percentages of Missouri's population.

Hiring more blacks would be crucial to meeting that goal. Blacks make up 11 percent of Missouri's population. At Southeast, 6.9 percent of full-time employees are black.

This year, Southeast hired 38 new full-time faculty. Only a dozen were minority members.

With a number of white faculty members slated to retire in the coming years, there could be more job opportunities for minorities.

'Special qualification'

Both Buck and Jeter are taking graduate classes at Southeast as they work toward master's degrees in public administration. Both then plan to pursue doctorate degrees, which would be essential to getting tenure at the university.

They said they have no qualms about the reason they were hired despite academic differences with their peers.

"If cultural diversity helped me get a foot in the door, then I am glad," Jeter said.

School officials insist Jeter's 20 years of experience in radio and television at stations around the country was the equivalent of having a master's degree and was a key factor in her hiring.

But her minority status helped.

"It was a special qualification that she happened to be Native American," said Dr. Ferrell Ervin, who chairs the communication department. The university would not have hired a white male with Jeter's experience and academic credentials, Ervin said.

Buck, who has five years of experience in the newspaper field, said her minority status was a key to her hiring. Her duties include mentoring and recruiting minority students for the mass communication program.

University officials actively recruited her when no minorities applied for the position.

Buck said students who go into the news business will end up reporting on diversity issues and need to gain an understanding of minority cultures while in school.

"I think it makes them better writers," she said.

University officials say all students need such understanding in today's increasingly global society and workplace.

Two of Buck's students said they like her as a teacher because she has worked as a reporter.

Julia Metelski and Sarah Clay, both sophomores from St. Louis, said academic credentials mean little to them. They prefer a teacher like Buck who has worked in the news business.

"I am glad they hired her," Metelski said. Southeast, she said, in many academic areas needs to hire faculty who have had work experiences in the fields they teach.

Having a doctorate doesn't make someone a good teacher, they said. Metelski, who is white, said she cares more about whether the teacher is experienced in the field than whether the person is a minority.

"I honestly never thought much about the diversity," said Metelski, who wants to pursue a career in print journalism.

Sarah Clay, who is black, is used to having white professors. "When I walked in the room the first day and I saw her, I was incredibly shocked," she said.

Clay said Buck addresses minority issues as part of the class. "It is nice to see somebody that you can relate to," she said.

Not the norm

School officials say they don't plan on watering down hiring requirements for the sake of diversity. La Cour said the hiring of Buck, in particular, is an unusual situation.

Most minority faculty already have doctorates or have completed everything but their dissertations when hired by Southeast, he said.

Larry Proctor, who is black, was hired to teach in the department of health and leisure. He and Buck were the only two blacks added to the full-time faculty this fall.

Proctor is finishing up his doctorate at the University of Southern Mississippi, a goal made easier by his relocation to Missouri from the state of Washington. He has family in Mississippi, which he said also was a key factor in his decision to take the Southeast job.

Proctor, who had been teaching at Washington State University, said he learned of the job from a friend who was teaching at Southeast.

He doesn't think the university should lower standards to improve diversity. "If you drop standards to accomplish another goal, you are really moving backwards," said Proctor.

School officials say they don't expect to make changes overnight.

"We have to make small gains," La Cour said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123