When Dr. Ted Gordon was deciding whether to accept a tenured-track position in the Department of Anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin, his main concern was being the only African American faculty member in the department. "I did indeed take the position on the condition that the department would actively seek to hire another faculty member of color," Gordon said. This was in 1988, and since then, much has changed. In fact, the department has become significantly more diverse, both in terms of faculty and graduate students.

Gordon recently was promoted to associate vice president for thematic initiatives and community engagement in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) at the University of Texas at Austin. "Our short-term goal is to expand the thematic hiring process into different areas," says Gordon. These areas include African and African American Studies, Mexican and Mexican American Studies, Asian and Asian American Studies, and Women and Gender Studies, among others. "It is important as well to look at diversifying the hard sciences more in terms of gender and ethnicity," he reports. He sees an "environmental justice" theme as a potentially effective means to diversify the sciences.

Find the Experts, Find Diversity
Soon after Gordon's arrival at the university, he began consulting with others to develop a strategy to attract more faculty from historically underrepresented groups. "We had to come up with a strategy because people of color, particularly African Americans, were reluctant to apply here based on preconceived notions of Texas and the South in general," said Gordon. After reviewing areas of scholarship that were underdeveloped at the university, Gordon and other concerned faculty decided to take steps to fill these intellectual gaps. A thematic hiring program was initiated to actively seek scholars who specialized in the African Diaspora. "The thematic program became of political and intellectual interest to scholars and graduate students throughout the country. It has really flourished," says Gordon.

He emphasized this process is not based on race but rather on expertise in a particular thematic area. "The job announcements placed were based on a particular area of focus, with the African Diaspora being one thematic section. We found that there were a significant number of qualified candidates from underrepresented groups," said Gordon. "Thematic focus is effective because diversity is not just about skin color. It is about intellectual interests and academic expertise. In the end, you want a university that is not only diverse racially and ethnically but also intellectually." Gordon's efforts have helped diversify the university, and at the same time created and fostered a vibrant intellectual community.

Expanding the program
In 2000, Gordon became the director of the Center for African and African American Studies (CAAAS). The center sought to partner with various departments, including history, English, sociology, and government, to hire faculty with research interests in the African Diaspora. As a result, the University of Texas at Austin has one of the most comprehensive centers for African and African American studies in the nation. Its continued success and growth also is attributed to the fact that it is widely known and attracts scholars from across the country. CAAAS has partnered as well with the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and the provost to help make student and faculty ratios more balanced.

Progress Now and in the Future
Since 2005, there have been approximately 30 faculty hires based on the initiative, with another eight planned for the 2007-08 academic year. Hires include the School of Architecture, African American Art and Art History, Special Education, Asian American Studies, History, and Mexican American Studies.

In order to be effective in implementing a more comprehensive thematic hiring process, Dr. Gordon believes it is imperative that the division do the research to see what is out there in terms of cutting-edge research and scholarship. "Knowing what is innovative in regards to scholarship is definitely part of our strategy," he says.

Equally important is mobilizing various academic networks, including collaborating with various colleges and academic units. Working with the deans also is very significant to identifying those departments and schools where thematic hires would be most effective. Gordon is optimistic about the future of the program, saying, "The creation of the DDCE and its resources will be a huge factor in our successful implementation of thematic hiring and its expansion into different areas."

Success via Critical Mass
The notion of creating a "critical mass" of scholars in a particular thematic cluster is essential for the strategy to be successful. "The thematic process doesn't work unless there is a commitment to creating a critical mass. Otherwise, there is not the concentration necessary to make it successful," said Gordon.

Dr. Gregory Vincent, vice president for diversity and community engagement, agrees with this notion, "The division is committed to recruiting and hiring faculty that will continue to diversify the university community." Vincent also conveyed that retaining and promoting strong faculty is a high priority.

Dr. Gordon emphasized that thematic hiring is absolutely not about tokenism. In fact, he believes it is the polar opposite, stating, "It is about creating a critical mass and a thematic focus. This will diversify our intellectual community and strengthen the university as a whole."

For more information, please visit www.utexas.edu/diversity.

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