FACULTY RECRUITMENT WORKSHOP10/17/2019 4 Race Penalty in Grant Success • 83,188 NIH grant applications from 40,069 individuals from 2000-2006. • Differences in funding rate persists

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FACULTY RECRUITMENT WORKSHOP

FACULTY RECRUITMENT WORKSHOP

Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Increase Diversity and Excellence

STRIDE’s Approach to Recruiting for Diversity and Excellence is Widely Used

Introduction

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Overview

• Why diversity and excellence go hand-in-hand• What research can tell us about improving the search

process• How to apply these strategies to stages in the search

process• Getting great applications from the best applicants• Achieving excellence and diversity in the short list• Managing the visit• Choosing and attracting the candidate

• Conclusion

Why Do We Need to Recruit a Diverse Faculty in Order to Excel?

Carrell, Page, & West (2009). Dennehy & Dasgupta (2017). Ellison & Mullin (2014). Ely & Thomas (2001). Hale & Regev (2011). Page (2007). Sommers (2006).

Stewart & Valian (2018). Temm (2008).

• A diverse faculty can provide positive role models and mentors

for our diverse student body.

• Pursuing underrepresented diversity provides access to talent

we currently lack.

• Socially and intellectually diverse teams make better decisions.

• Car crash airbag design based on “average male” crash

dummies; led to many deaths of women & children.

• Racially diverse juries deliberated more thoughtfully about

an African American defendant.

• Two women astronauts were not able to go into space

recently. Why?

Why Do We Need to Recruit a Diverse Faculty in Order to Excel?

Carrell, Page, & West (2009). Dennehy & Dasgupta (2017). Ellison & Mullin (2014). Ely & Thomas (2001). Hale & Regev (2011). Page (2007). Sommers (2006).

Stewart & Valian (2018). Temm (2008).

Recruiting and Decision-Making

• Selecting the right new colleagues is difficult!o How do we predict, from limited evidence, who will

contribute the most over 20 or 30 years?o How do we compare candidates in very different

specialties, or at different stages of their careers?

• Experts are especially subject to fallacieso Illusions of validity, skill, and confidenceo Anchoring/focusing effectso The narrative fallacy

• Recruiting matters. We should do it in a scholarly way.

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Schemas: One Way to Think Fast

• Schemas are expectations or stereotypes that allow rapid, but sometimes inaccurate, processing of information.

• They may result in negative evaluations of people who don’t conform to our schemas

• They often conflict with consciously held or “explicit” attitudes.

• They can change based on experience/exposure.

Bobo, Kluegel, & Smith (1977). Dovidio & Gaertner (2000). Valian (1998).

The Implicit Association Test:

One way to explore the effects of your own schemas.Take it at: implicit.harvard.edu

What Increases the Use of Schemas?

• Stress from competing tasks• Time pressure• Ambiguity/incomplete information

• Lack of critical mass (solo status)

…and schemas can

influence decision making.

Present in faculty searches

Dovidio & Gaertner (1998). Dovidio & Gaertner (2000). Fiske (2002). Heilman (1980). Sackett, DuBois, & Noe (1991). Stewart & Valian (2018). Valian (1998).

Schemas Affect Evaluation

Numerous studies using identical resumes show that schemas affect evaluation.

Identical Resumes

Schema Example: Race in Hiring

• Identical resumes –only the name differed• White name/Greg-received 50% more

callbacks for interviews.

• Black name/Jamal-needed 8 more years of experience to get a similar rate of response.

Application packages

differ only in name

Jamal

Greg

Gender ImmigrantStatus

SexualOrientation

Similar patterns for other social identity groups

Bertrand & Mullainathan (2004). Kang, et al. (2016). Moss-Racusin, et al. (2012). Tilcsik (2011). Oreopoulos (2011). Weichselbaumer (2003).

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Race Penalty in Grant Success

• 83,188 NIH grant applications from

40,069 individuals from 2000-2006.

• Differences in funding rate persists

even after controlling for education

and training, previous NIH

experience, research productivity,

and other factors.0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Ind

ep

en

den

t In

vestig

ato

r A

wa

rd

(R01

) P

rob

ab

ility

Black or African

American

White

‡ -Data from over 83,000 NIH

applications over 7 years

-Differences in funding rate

exist even after controlling for productivity, prior NIH

funding, etc.

Ginther et al., (2011). Science, 333, 1015-1019.Wenneras & Wold (1997). Nature, 387, 341-343.

Evaluation of Identical Resumes:Parental Status

Correll, Benard, & Paik (2007). American J of Sociology, 112(5), 1297-1338.

When evaluating equally qualified same-gender job applicants, Fathers…

•were rated as more committed

to paid work than non-fathers.

•were offered higher starting

salaries than non-fathers.

Mothers…

•were rated as less competent and less

committed to paid work than non-mothers.

•were less likely to be recommended for

hire, promotion, and management, and

were offered lower starting salaries than

non-mothers.

““““non-father””””father

Active in Parent

Teacher Association““““non-mother””””mother

Active in Parent

Teacher Association

Evaluation of Identical Resumes:Sexual Identity

• Pairs of matched resumes sent for 5 different occupations in 7 different states

• Overall, 40% fewer call backs for gay applicants

• Largest difference in Ohio, Texas, Florida (as compared to California, New York, Nevada and Pennsylvania)

Treasurer in Gay Student Organization

Treasurer in Environmental Student

Organization

Tilcsik (2011) American J of Sociology, 117(2), 586-626.

Additional Resource: Weichselbaumer (2003). Labour Economics, 10, 629-642

Positions of Leadership for Asians/Asian Americans

Mervis, J. (2005). A Glass Ceiling for Asian Scientists? Science, 310, 606-607.

Biased Leadership Outcomes

0

5

10

15

20

National

Institutes of

Health

Federal

Scientists and

Engineers

US Life

Scientists

% Membership

% Leadership

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Choosing Differently

• What if we could prevent schemas from distorting our evaluation of job-relevant criteria?

• From 1970-1996, many US symphony orchestras began conducting screened auditions

• Data from 14,000 applicants• Use of a screen increased the

probability that a woman would advance from preliminary rounds by 50%

Goldin & Rouse (2000). Terrell et al. (2016).

Discuss Your Ideas With the Person Next to You

How might schemas influence the search process?

Four Stages of the Search Process:

1. Getting great applications from the best applicants

2. Achieving excellence and diversity on the short list

3. Managing the visit

4. Choosing and attracting the candidate

Stage 1: Getting Great Applications

From the Best Applicants

• Require and reward a high level of

commitment, i.e. require search committees to attend STRIDE.

• Include a trained Diversity Advocate

on each committee. Count this as important service.

(required in 2019-2020 only for tenure-

track searches in SIPA, CASE, and CEC)

#1 – Build an Effective Search Committee

• Be aware of unconscious bias and the challenges of evaluation (e.g. train committees via STRIDE workshops).

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#2 – ACTIVELYDevelop a Diverse Pool

• You can’t hire great faculty unless great candidates apply.

• Search is a verb: make your search active.• Network directly with doctoral students and postdocs, including your

own, and invite them to speak in your seminar series.• Connect with other institutions to identify and track promising

candidates.

• Actively solicit applicants from the Diversity section of your professional association.

• Ensure diversity: widen your pool to those thriving at otherinstitutions.

#3 - Open Your Search – Define the Search as Broadly as Possible

Philosophy Department: Area of Specialization (AOS): Open. Area of Competence (AOC): Open. The Department is open to the possibility of interdisciplinary appointments.

Physics Department: …considering applications in all areas of physics represented in the department…

• include as many areas as possible.

• Under-represented candidates often work at the intersection of

disciplines.

• Use a single search committee for all positions. ““““Open [broadly-defined] searches led to both a larger number of

applicants AND a more diverse applicant pool.””””#4 - Clearly Define and Communicate

the Application Components

• Don’t rely on candidates’ mentors to explain the application process to them.

• Good, complete information is essential to the conduct of an effective search. Ask for what you need!o Provide a template or checklist describing all elements of

the application.o Decide when or if to request letters of recommendation.o For each element, indicate the intended audience,

o especially important for broad searches!o Let candidates know what future stages the process might

have, such as in-person or Skype interviews, requests for

chapters or papers, teaching demonstration, etc.

Diversity Statements

• Diversity statement (go.fiu.edu/diversitystatement): opportunity for the applicant to discuss potential for (or record of) contributing to diversity, equity & inclusion in higher ed • Example: teaching and mentoring students from diverse

backgrounds

• Should be evaluated systematically (go.fiu.edu/diversityrubrics)

• Feedback from some ADVANCE universities:

• Excellent and diverse candidates were identified and hired.

• Statements raised awareness of the impact of applicant’s work.

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Stage 2: Achieving Excellence and Diversity

in the Applicant Short List

Potential for (evidence of) scholarly impact

Potential for (evidence of) research productivity

Potential for (evidence of) research funding

Potential for (evidence of) collaboration

Fit with department’s priorities

Ability to make positive contribution to department’s climate

Potential (demonstrated ability) to attract and supervise diverse graduate students

Potential (demonstrated ability) to teach and supervise diverse undergraduates

Potential (demonstrated ability) to be a conscientious university community member

Potential (demonstrated ability) to mentor diverse students

Please rate the candidate on each of the following:

#5 – Use Specific Criteria that Value Diversity and Excellence to Evaluate at All Stages

• Discuss and define evaluation criteria in advance.

• Avoid use of proxies such as CV, prestige of graduate or postdoc institution, citations, letters of recommendation.

• Determine the order of reviewing materials.

• Design evaluations that combine examination of written materials and direct contact with the candidate.

#6 – Strive to Mitigate Evaluation Bias

Regner et.al. (2019) Committees with implicit biases promote fewer women when they do not believe gender bias exists, Nature Human Behaviour

Kahneman (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2011

Brief Exercise – Letters of Recommendation

Circle the top 3 words/phrases that you would find most compelling/important

in a letter of recommendation:

Hard-working Brilliant Outstanding

Superstar Pays attention to detail Excellent

Ground-breaking Kind Nice

Balances work and family Conscientious Grit

Genius Creative

Perseverance

Good colleague

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Letters for men :

• Longer

• Repetition of standout adjectives (outstanding,

excellent, etc.)

• More references to CV,

publications, patients,colleagues

Letters for women :

• Shorter

• Use of “grindstone” adjectives

(conscientious, meticulous, hard-

working)

• More references to personal life

• More “doubt raisers” (hedges, faint praise, and irrelevancies)

• “She is close to my wife”

Schemas and Letters of Recommendation

Dutt et al. (2016). Madera et al. (2018). Ross et al. (2017). Schmader et al. (2007). Trix & Psenka (2003).

Letters for Whites:

• Standout adjectives

Letters for Blacks:

• (mere) competence

Examples of Doubt-Raisers

• Repeated standout adjectives: “He is an outstanding researcher;

outstanding teacher; outstanding colleague.”

• Grindstone adjectives: “She is meticulous and conscientious as a

mentor and scholar.”

• Hedges: “Of the three Indian ladies we have here this year, she is

perhaps the best."

• Faint Praise: “My overall impression is that when [she] is motivated, [she] brings enormous talent and energy and is very productive."

• Irrelevancies: “…an Afghan American and a practicing Muslim woman who wears a veil covering her head but not her face."

• Personal Life: “devoted mother of two children who manages her

responsibilities efficiently, so that she succeeds as a scholar."

Gender Bias calculator for letters

https://www.tomforth.co.uk/genderbias/

Perceptions of Instructors

• These data were gathered from 14 million reviews on RateMyProfessor.com

• You can explore the data on your own at http://benschmidt.org/profgender/

Storage D, Horne Z, Cimpian A, Leslie SJ (2016) The Frequency of “Brilliant” and “Genius” inTeaching Evaluations Predicts the Representation of Women and African Americans across

Fields. PLOS ONE 11(3): e0150194.

• EXERCISE

Letters of Recommendation

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Gender Calculator

Example #1“Female” words =5

Educational, trained, work, hardworking, supervisors

“Male” words =11

Research, study, study, published, journals, grants

• Example #2 “Female” words =6

Work, work, work, working, work, presentations

“Male” words = 4

Research, able, skills, questions

Assessing the Teaching Record

• Don't just skim!

• Track trajectories, evidence of reflection about pedagogy, curricular innovation, commitment to engage students of diverse backgrounds and a

variety of levels

• Ask: how can this candidate broaden and reinforce your unit’s teaching mission?

Stage 3: Managing the Visit

#7 - Encourage Circumstances to See the Candidate at Their Best

• Identify a host who can set the tone for each activity or

event

• Provide a thoughtful introduction at the seminar, stressing candidate’s expertise, and work to maximize

attendance

• Give the candidate ample time to discussaccomplishments and future vision

• Consider whether environment contains undesirable cues

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• If possible, try to interview more than one female/minority candidate.

• Treat all applicants as valuable scholars and educators, not representatives of a social group.

• Ensure that all candidates meet a diverse set of people. This may include graduate and undergraduate students.

• Ask the candidate whom s/he would like to meet.

#8 – Provide a Welcoming Environment During the Interview

Heilman (1980). Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 26(3), 386-395.

Huffcutt & Roth (1998). J Applied Psychology, 83(2), 179-189.

• Plan ahead: your unit should provide an information packet,

detailing FIU and School/College policies, to all candidates.

• Be aware that dual-career support from the Provost’s Office is

available to domestic partners of faculty recruits regardless of

marital status or sexual identity.

• Department Chairs and Associate Deans request assistance

through their Deans as part of the recruiting process.

• Support for dual careers enhances both recruitment and

retention of all faculty.

Tell All Candidates About Dual-Career Support and Family-Friendly Policies

Consider Only Job-Relevant Criteria

• Interviews should aim to evaluate qualifications that are relevant to a faculty position – questions about matters that are not job-relevant (e.g., family status, sexual orientation) must not be asked by the search committee.

• Such questions are also often illegal.

• Exploring non-job-relevant criteria will confound your evaluation, and is also likely to drive away the candidate.

Scenarios that follow are inspired by actual situations

The Unintended Consequences of Personal Questions

ADVANCE interview study of faculty who turned down

offers. Rivera (2017). Sue et al. (2007).

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Do you have school-aged children or will you want to learn more

about schools in Miami during your visit?

FIU, this Department, and our

faculty are family friendly.

Not only that, but Miami is a great place to raise a family.

The Unintended Consequences of Personal Questions

FACULTY MEMBER JOB CANDIDATE

No.

“I figured the reason they asked me about

whether I had kids was that they wanted to figure out whether it would be hard for me to

move. Obviously it was a negative.”

“A senior male asked me if I was going to

have children. Just like that. I said what I was

trained to say: No.”

What the Candidate Actually Infers and Says…

FACULTY MEMBER JOB CANDIDATE

The Unintended Consequences of Personal Questions

Your analysis of racial

discrimination in higher education was very

interesting. It made me

wonder, where are you

from?

I want her to know that we are accepting in our

department and we’ve made

a strong commitment to

diversity.

FACULTY MEMBER JOB CANDIDATE

What the Candidate Thinks…

Why is he asking me where I am from?

Does he think I am not a U.S. citizen?

I feel like I am being told I don’t

belong here.

I currently live inMiami.

FACULTY MEMBER JOB CANDIDATE

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...So What Should I Do?

What if a candidate mentions a dual career issue or asks about family life/schools in Miami?

• Answer the question asked

• Do not ask questions to gather further information from the candidate

• As necessary, identify other resources outside the search committee

Stage 4: Making the Decision

#9 – 3 Best Practices: Gather Input Promptly

• Talks and interviews provide important evidence for

making your decision.

• Without some care, it is easy to lose much of

what you learn: details fade fast!

• We encourage prompt use of candidate evaluation

tools after each visit.

• Gather and digest feedback throughout the

process; use it to enrich and inform deliberations.

Postpone Global Rankings

•Do not request ranked lists.

–This cements positions before discussion takes place (anchoring or focusing effect).

–Ranking fulfills the narrative fallacy and discounts intrinsic uncertainty.

•Aim first for an unranked list of candidates you would be most happy to hire.

•Don’t focus on ‘fit’, but rather on the criteria you identified at the start of the search.

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Manage Full Faculty Discussions

• Introduce a transparent and explicit process for the faculty discussion before talking about any individual candidate.

• Consider opening with brief presentation from search committee on all candidates.

• Summarize evaluation materials for the faculty.

• Find ways to represent junior faculty views in the discussion.

• Decision-making processes vary. Consider revising your departmental process to improve your outcome.

#10 – Recruit the Selected Candidate

After a candidate is chosen, aggressive recruiting can begin.

Now, all factors relevant to attracting the candidate to Miami and FIU should bediscussed.

Don’t Forget that South Florida is More Than Just FIU

• What Can We Do? Top Ten Best Practices

• Build a culture of search excellence. Reflect on your search and provide a report suggesting improved approaches for thefuture.

• Work with colleagues to create a culture in which new faculty will thrive, succeed, and choose to stay at FIU.

The ADVANCE Program can help

http://advance.fiu.eduPhone: 305-348-3787

E-mail: [email protected]

A Successful Search isJust the Beginning!