When MSU President M. Peter McPherson's term began in 1994, one of his six major goals for the university was to increase diversity. At that point, MSU had 93 black tenured professors.
It's nearly 10 years later, and the university has - still - 93 black tenured professors. Administration officials need to follow those goals and truly increase diversity in the faculty.
McPherson's senior adviser for diversity, Paulette Granberry Russell told the Lansing State Journal, "This is not a problem unique to MSU." But the numbers say otherwise.
When MSU hired no black professors, the State Journal reported the University of Michigan saw a 14 percent increase from 1998 to 2002. Western Michigan University hired 15 black professors, a 43 percent increase.
The news isn't all bad, though. In other minority groups, MSU has made increases: 9 percent more Hispanic professors, 55 percent more Asian professors, and the number of American Indian or Alaskan Native professors has nearly quadrupled.
The university also said the number of temporary black faculty members has increased from 55 in 1993 to 64 in 2002.
But temporary professors aren't enough. Simply, MSU is the nation's seventh-largest university - a fact that carries with it an expectation to have equal percentages of minority students and faculty members.
This year, MSU's black tenured professors make up 4.7 percent of faculty members, while black students make up 8 percent of university undergraduates.
This expectation goes further with the fact that MSU has a large study abroad program. With the opportunity to learn from diverse people out of the country, university students should be able to do the same.
Every student needs one or more role models to help them learn and guide them through university classes. If minority students look to minority faculty members, their search shouldn't come up empty. But in the name of acceptance, students should be able to go to any professor for help and advice. At the same time students need to feel comfortable with their professors.
Also, professors should feel comfortable with their co-workers. If a faculty member is the only black one in his or her department, it's easy to feel alone.
Besides, black students are already the most likely to leave MSU without a degree. The Journal's report cites these minority graduation rates in 2001: 54 percent of blacks, 53 percent of American Indians, 57 percent of Hispanics and 65 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander students.
With more role models, black students might be more likely to stay, or even become graduate students. The university only hires professors with a doctorate degree. After all, the best minority role models are those who already have experience on MSU's campus. The report said while applications to MSU graduate programs increased overall, from 8,682 in 1993 to 11,025 in 2002, black applications dropped from 355 to 338 in the same time period.
If the university is serious about increasing diversity on campus, it must not only enroll minority students but make room for minority faculty members so those students can have guides into the professional world.
