Diversity Recruitment Resources: Making the Hire

1. How you achieve a commitment to join the university will be position dependent, but for any hire it is important to provide a sense of what the pathway to success looks like. For faculty, it could be emphasizing the academic community they would be joining and also clarity on Promotion & Tenure, support available from the university, and continued expectations along the way. For staff, depending upon their level within the university, this may include sharing the expectations of the role, including the large programs and projects on which they would be focused as well as team members from across the university with whom they would be collaborating. Also include information around continued education through career and professional development opportunities.
2. Focus on the total rewards of the offer, emphasizing all the great benefits that come with joining the Marquette community. Share details around the Employee Resource Groups and networks that they could being forming by joining the Marquette community.
3. Finally, be authentic, transparent, and enthusiastic. Be aware of key moments for connection from the time you extend the offer to when they provide notice to their current place of employment to the day they formally join the university. Roll out the welcome carpet and find ways to remain in contact, such as by sharing news stories that highlight your college or program.

1. Engage in inclusive practices by integrating the new colleagues into the fabric of your department or unit. There should be a clear plan for onboarding and socialization – a process that the hiring committee can be vital to since they have more direct knowledge of the successful candidate. In short, help your new colleague feel at home even – or especially! – if the hire was not every search committee member’s first choice. There is also some evidence that formal programs and other institutional support, such as those that promote work-life balance, offer mentorship opportunities, or provide bridge funding, can increase retention of women and faculty of color. But even the best of formal programs will fall flat if the department or unit climate is not welcoming or supportive, so be intentional about your communication, outreach, recognition, and access to opportunities for new hires. Also see this excellent resource for creating a culture of belonging for faculty of color. 
2. Provide the new hire with introductions to various colleagues on campus who intersect with their areas of interest. If they express an interest in connecting with diverse colleagues, provide them with information about our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). ERGs are groups of employees who voluntarily come together based on shared characteristics or interests for the purpose of creating a more inclusive environment. They can be powerful vehicles for creating connection across institutional units and fostering a sense of community and belonging.
3. Standardize evaluation processes. Research suggests that women and people of color are often scrutinized more than their male and white counterparts for similar job performances, experience backlash when they do not behave in gendered or racially stereotypical ways, and experience less workplace influence. Reducing ambiguity in evaluations can reduce the impact of implicit biases, and recognizing and amplifying the voices and work of people who are underrepresented can create powerful counternarratives.
4. In evaluation and promotion decisions, credit invisible labor, such as: disproportionate participation in committees and other formal service work to the university as a result of being a member of an underrepresented group; participation in informal service to the university, such as through mentoring and advising students, staff, and scholars; providing support for students and families in their native language; and the development of curricula or pedagogical practices that enhance the diversity of course offerings and support the educational development of underrepresented students, to name a few.

Marquette seeks to be an inclusive campus that welcomes colleagues from all walks of life. A diverse community strengthens our ability to think dynamically, helps us to respond more effectively to an increasingly global and interconnected society, and enriches the educational experience of all our students. But more importantly, Marquette strives to embody our Catholic, Jesuit ethos through the advancement of equity and justice – which we can and should do by starting with our own campus practices.  

Decision-makers at every level of the institution can contribute to these efforts by examining their processes and prioritizing changes that will disrupt the status quo. A more intentional approach from search committees across campus will result in small but important wins that, in aggregate, can add up to substantial change, shaping our community and positioning our campus to be an innovative leader in higher education far into the future.