SIUE strives for diversity among students, faculty staff
By Vaughn Vandegrift
For the St. Louis American
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is dedicated to serving a diverse community that recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of each person. Our goal is to foster tolerance, sensitivity, understanding and mutual respect among faculty, staff and students, while encouraging each individual to reach his or her potential.
Minorities are represented in all levels in the university’s workforce, most notably comprising 14 percent of full-time faculty, 15 percent of administrative/ managerial and 24 percent of the professional staff; all figures are similar to their national averages of 14 percent, 15 percent and 15 percent, respectively.
The long-term trend for African-American employment is strong, and total African-American employment remains above local, regional and national employment levels of 8 percent, 12 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
I also should note that African-American females make up 12 percent of the university’s full-time workforce and 62 percent of the total minority workforce.
Women represent 44 percent of total full-time faculty, and continue to maintain impressive representation in administrative/managerial and professional positions, comprising 41 percent and 67 percent, respectively, of employees in those job groups. Both figures are close to or greater than their respective national averages of 47 percent and 48 percent for women employed in those job groups throughout higher education nationwide.
While we continue to show progress, we also are challenged to continue to develop initiatives and strategies to improve employment opportunities for all employees, especially Native Americans and Hispanics. Their levels of representation are much lower than the diversity found in Illinois student enrollment and state population.
In addition, SIUE is committed to education that explores the historic significance of diversity in order to understand the present and to better enable our community to engage the future. Integral to this commitment, SIUE strives for a student body and a workforce that manifests diversity.
SIUE nurtures an open, harmonious, and hospitable climate that facilitates learning and work. Each member of the university community contributes to those values. We view this not only as our legal obligation, but as our moral duty.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our story with you and others in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.
Vaughn Vandegrift is chancellor of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.