U of M has racial disparity among faculty members

The city of Memphis has a black population of over 60 percent, but the University of Memphis’ faculty has about 15 percent black members.

The city’s population is comprised of 64 percent of “blacks and African-Americans,†or specifically 420,273of the 652,752 citizens, according to a 2016 population survey by the United States Census Bureau. The university has 3,057 faculty members across its colleges, but only 452 of them are black, which makes up about 15 percent of the faculty, according to the U of M Office of Institutional Research. Of the 3,057 faculty members, whites make up 1,942, or about 64 percent, of the staff.

Carol Rambo, a professor of sociology at the U of M, said she and other staff members at the university understand how low the diversity of the faculty is, and they attempt to “rectify†the recruiting process by diversifying the pool of candidates, but sometimes it does not work out.

“There is a great deal of competition for scholars of color,†Rambo said. “There are often situations which you might characterize as ‘bidding wars’ which arise, or you land someone for a few years, and then they are recruited away by another university with offers of more money and resources.â€

Rambo said there is a big racial gap in the university’s faculty when compared to Memphis’ population, and for change to occur, the racial gap needs to be acknowledged. 

“The truth of the situation is that there are not enough scholars of color in the pipeline to supply national demand,†Rambo said. “This is where a history of social and economic oppression becomes relevant. Access to resources and a high quality education is going to keep that pipeline flowing at a trickle.â€

Rambo said the racial diversity in the city should be reflected within the institution, but there have not been enough “resources†to fill the gap.

Wendi Thomas, editor of MLK50, a website advocating for equality in Memphis, said it is typical for most universities in urban centers to have such a racial gap, and fixing it is up to the authorities.

“Diversifying faculty must be intentional,†Thomas said. “I think these things are fixable if the university makes it a priority. It depends on the higher faculty, like the president.â€

Thomas said she is not sure there are enough qualified black people to fill the racial gap, but the university can set goals to hire more blacks if they decide to fix the issue.

“I think you have to be proactive,†Thomas said. “We all have unconscious biases, and to deal with it, we must first acknowledge it.â€

Aram Goudsouzian, the chair of the history department at the U of M, said bringing more black people into the faculty would help the university prosper.

“More African-American faculty members would have direct benefits for the University of Memphis,†Goudsouzian said. “These professors bring diverse and essential perspectives to scholarly inquiry and the issues that particularly face Memphis.â€

Goudsouzian said the students would benefit well from more faculty members of color. 

“Many of our students look to our faculty of color for not only classroom instruction, but also leadership and personal connection,†Goudsouzian said. “These faculty members help more of our students succeed in classes, graduate from the university and contribute to the city’s well-being.â€