Faculties Showing More Diversity, Little Junior Tenure

Harvard has made progress toward meeting its affirmative action goals but still needs to improve the representation of women and minorities in a number of its faculties, according to the annual Affirmative Action Plan released yesterday.

Assistant to the President and Associate Vice President James Hoyte said the overall situation has improved since last year.

"It's a varied picture as you look from faculty to faculty, but I think on balance it has improved," he said.

Throughout the University, the total numbers and percentages of minority and women faculty increased over the past year. Female faculty presence grew from 3819 (28.5 percent) to 4460 (29.4 percent), while minority faculty went from 1996 (14.9 percent) to 2513 (16.6 percent).

In the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), the number of women faculty members fell from 298 to 294, while the number of minority faculty members grew from 211 to 226.

"Faculty," for the purpose of the report, is defined to include senior faculty and "ladder" faculty.

The FAS still has a deficit in the Social Sciences and Natural Sciences for senior women faculty. A deficit means the Harvard percentage is lower than the percentage in the national "pool" of possible hires.

The FAS also faces small deficits in women ladder faculty and minority ladder faculty. And in terms of numbers, not all schools increased the diversity of their faculty over the past year.

The Business School's total number of women faculty members fell by three, according to the report, and the number of minority faculty members declined from 23 to 21.

Hoyte said "the overwhelming majority" of the Plan's goals have been met, but said he hopes for still more progress.

"There's still a long way to go, at least from my perspective," he said. "I do think there's a lot more that needs to be done....There's always a question of how fast you can accomplish it."

Hoyte said although last year's report was expected to be the last in the five-year planning cycle, the five year plan was extended a year to include the present data.

A new Plan will this spring be devised by affirmative action officials, with new guidelines for next year, he said.

He also pointed to "good progress" in diversifying the Harvard staffs. Overall, the University's staff increased female representation from 9247 to 9832, and minority representation from 3495 to 4065.

Although the annual Plan usually includes comparisons with affirmative action plans at other universities, Hoyte said this year the statistics were not available in time

The FAS still has a deficit in the Social Sciences and Natural Sciences for senior women faculty. A deficit means the Harvard percentage is lower than the percentage in the national "pool" of possible hires.

The FAS also faces small deficits in women ladder faculty and minority ladder faculty. And in terms of numbers, not all schools increased the diversity of their faculty over the past year.

The Business School's total number of women faculty members fell by three, according to the report, and the number of minority faculty members declined from 23 to 21.

Hoyte said "the overwhelming majority" of the Plan's goals have been met, but said he hopes for still more progress.

"There's still a long way to go, at least from my perspective," he said. "I do think there's a lot more that needs to be done....There's always a question of how fast you can accomplish it."

Hoyte said although last year's report was expected to be the last in the five-year planning cycle, the five year plan was extended a year to include the present data.

A new Plan will this spring be devised by affirmative action officials, with new guidelines for next year, he said.

He also pointed to "good progress" in diversifying the Harvard staffs. Overall, the University's staff increased female representation from 9247 to 9832, and minority representation from 3495 to 4065.

Although the annual Plan usually includes comparisons with affirmative action plans at other universities, Hoyte said this year the statistics were not available in time