March 9, 2001

English Department at Michigan State U. Diversifies Its Faculty; U. of Texas at Austin Lures 2 Philosophers From King's College London

By ROBIN WILSON and KAREN BIRCHARD

Giving up the search: Many academic departments want to diversify their faculties. This year, Michigan State University's English department has been more successful than most. Four of its five new hires are members of ethnic minority groups.

Patrick O'Donnell, the chairman, says the department succeeded by avoiding the primary tool of the trade -- a national search. He says that too many colleges and universities are chasing after too few minority scholars, and Michigan State can lose