“Virginia Tech, like any university, has struggled with these issues,” McNamee said. The student body is about 30 percent minority, he said, though progress is uneven. African Americans represent about 4 percent of enrollment.
“We are working hard,” he said. “We have a long way to go, and this is a sign that we take this issue seriously.”
The annual faculty reports are critical for salary gains at Virginia Tech, since the university has no automatic cost-of-living increases. Academic departments recommend salary increases each summer based on the teacher reports.
Because of their inclusion on annual faculty reports, diversity activities also are likely to become a larger factor in applications for tenure, according to McNamee. “It will become part of their promotion files,” he added.
A copy of the memorandum is online at:
www.policies.vt.edu/policymemos/PPM%20239.pdf.
-Charles Dervarics
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