Vassar hosts conference on diversity among faculty

Shahreen Saifi Staff Writer

In an effort to embrace different cultures and to reflect them in its academic courses, Vassar College is hosting this year’s conference for the Consortium of Faculty Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges (CFD) on Friday, Nov. 3.

The Consortium is a group of 38 member colleges that are attempting to increase the ethnic diversity of faculty members at liberal arts colleges, and it invites graduate students to apply for positions in liberal arts colleges.

“[New graduates] apply to the Consortium for a fellowship, and the members review applications and invite them for interviews. We get to choose them and they get to choose us,” said Associate Dean of the Faculty Jill Schneiderman.

It also serves to “acquaint scholars with the virtues of liberal art colleges,” according to Schneiderman. CFD members have limited teaching responsibilities, giving them time to work on their graduate dissertations.

Christine Balance, a CFD member in Vassar’s American Culture Program, noted other virtues of the organization. “The work that college graduate students are doing is not always understood, so things I’ve discovered in my research aren’t really out there. But the Consortium validates and funds what we do and allows us to share it.”

Schneiderman’s attendance at the previous conference in Ohio inspired Vassar’s decision to host this year’s conference.

“I was stimulated by what I had heard,” said Schneiderman. “I wanted to hold it at Vassar to showcase some of our own dynamic students and faculty for these scholars.”

The conference will kick off with a cocktail reception and dinner on Nov. 3. Saturday, Nov. 4 will be divided between panels and presentations, and the conference will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 5 with more panels and a question-and-answer session.

“By having the conference here, we are connecting with a network of scholars of color and making a connection with the future faculty at Vassar,” said Schneiderman.

She hopes that access to scholarships and exposure to other liberal arts colleges will increase the number of ethnically diverse scholars at Vassar who may eventually be on tenure track.

The Nov. 5 panels will discuss how to “Make the Most of the CFD Fellowship Year,” and speakers will include Dean of the College Judy “JJ” Jackson.

Presentations will be given by current CFD members, who will share their research on various subjects, from “Ethnic Food Markets: Transplanted Landscapes of Cultural and Biological Diversity” by My Lien T. Nguyen of Wellesley College to “Super Natural: Reclaiming Black Female Sexuality in Pornography” by Niambi Carter from Denison University. Later in the day, the graduate students will take part in practice job interviews.

The Nov. 5 panel is entitled “Next Steps in Your Academic Career.” Panelists include Senior Dean of Faculty Ron Sharp, Swarthmore College Associate Professor Garakai Campbell, and Reed College Assistant Professor Sonia Sabnis.

“We leapt at the opportunity to host [the Consortium] and have invested effort, time and money into it,” said Schneiderman. “It is an opportunity to demonstrate the Dean of Faculty Office’s commitment to having a diverse faculty and multiple scholars of color.”

Vassar’s percentage of ethnic faculty has increased from five percent in 1999 to seven percent in 2005, the greatest increase in the nation’s highest-ranked liberal arts colleges.

“Vassar is doing pretty well compared to other liberal arts colleges in regard to having scholars of color on its tenure track,” said Scheiderman, adding, “That’s not to say there isn’t more we can do, and we’re going to do it. It’s important and it matters to us.”