Cal State Los Angeles Leads State System In Hiring of Minority Faculty

LOS ANGELES

California State University, Los Angeles appointed a higher percentage of minority faculty in 2002 than any other California State University (CSU) campus, a recent report revealed. More than 50 percent of the faculty in tenure-track positions at CSULA were minority appointments, making the university the leader in the CSU system.

The study, released in June and prepared by the California Research Bureau, showed that, out of CSULA's 57 faculty appointments, 31.6 percent were Asian, 7 percent were African American, and 12.3 percent were Hispanic, for a total of 50.9 percent of total faculty appointments in 2002. Other non-White ethnicities or "unknown" accounted for an additional 8.8 percent.

"We are extremely proud that Cal State L.A. has been able to recruit such a diverse group of top faculty," says CSULA's President James M. Rosser. "These talented educators bring with them a wealth of experience and broad perspectives, benefiting our students and bringing prestige to our campus."

CSULA's diverse student body of 51.3 percent Hispanic, 24.3 percent Asian-American/Pacific Islander, 8.4 percent African American, .4 percent American Indian and 15.7 percent White, non-Hispanic students gives the university one of the most diverse campuses in the nation.

Of 950 tenure-track appointments made throughout the CSU system in fall 2002, 269 (28 percent) were ethnic minorities. The report also showed that the positive trend of recruiting faculty from traditionally underrepresented groups was evident throughout the entire CSU system, translating into greater numbers of minority faculty overall. CSU campuses recruited more tenure-track faculty in 2002 than in any year since 1988, when the Office of the Chancellor began conducting the surveys.