330.1 Affirmative Action Plan

Created 2002-01-01

Preface

Historically, Goshen College has been committed to

  • serving the Mennonite Church
  • providing a broad Christian Liberal Arts education with a strong cross-cultural emphasis
  • seeking justice
  • eliminating discrimination and racism
  • increasing diversity among faculty, staff and students.

Because of its commitment to the values stated above, Goshen College has recognized and continues to recognize the importance of including diverse persons within its teaching faculty, administration, staff and student body. Throughout its history, Goshen College has promoted employment policies, salary and benefit policies, practices of recruitment, hiring and promotion policies and student admission practices which do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or physical disability.

Goshen College is owned and operated by the Mennonite Church as a religious organization. Goshen College claims exemption to Federal Law requiring nondiscrimination according to religion. Preference in hiring will be given to persons sharing a commitment to the Christian faith; to the doctrine and teachings of the Mennonite Church; and to the principles identified in the Faculty Handbook Section 7.0, Faith and Community and in the Mission and Goals of the college as stated in Section 1.2 of the Faculty Handbook.

Introduction

Goshen College maintains and adheres to a policy of equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination in hiring and in provision of all services to the faculty, staff, students and community.

Goshen College will make all decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, promotions and other terms and conditions of employment and student rights without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, national origin, age, physical disability, or other factors which cannot be lawfully used as a basis for a decision.

Affirmative Action at Goshen College is understood to mean going beyond policies of nondiscrimination or employment neutrality to work effectively toward increasing diversity on campus. The college will take positive action to overcome the effects of systemic forms of exclusion and discrimination. The Affirmative Action Officer and the Affirmative Action Committee will address the following tasks based on the Affirmative Action Policy:

  1. Determine the extent underrepresented groups are underutilized in major categories.

    1. Identify and work toward the elimination of the causes of such under-utilization.
    2. Develop substantial applicant pools of qualified members of underrepresented groups.

  2. Identify and eliminate all employment practices that impede employee hiring, promotion, and success due to criteria not related to job performance. Replace such practices by others that are based on valid job requirements.

  3. Monitor the effectiveness of the Affirmative Action program at Goshen College as indicated in the document below.

Goals

In spite of significant efforts in the past, Goshen College recognizes that underutilization of underrepresented groups still exists in some segments of the campus population, particularly in administrative and teaching faculty.

Summary of Current Statistics (see Human Resources Office for more detailed current statistics):

Summary of Current Statistics
(see Human Resources Office for more detailed current statistics)
Minority Staff/Professional Staff 13%
Minority Administrative Faculty 12%
Minority Teaching Faculty 3%
Total Minority Employees 10%
Women Staff/Professional Staff 76%
Women Administrative Faculty* 49%
Women Teaching Faculty* 43%
Total Women Employees 54%

*Please note that the percentage of women in the full professor category is 27%, while comprising 51% of the associate and assistant professor levels. Also, 46% of the administrators at the highest two levels are women.

Goshen College employment statistics can be evaluated within the context of our local, national, and church populations, along with the gender distribution of Ph.D.s for teaching positions. The 2000 census indicated that 25% of the United States population are persons of color, while Elkhart County reported 14%. Elkhart County schools reported a minority student population of nearly 19% in the fall of 2000.

The Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada do not keep statistics on the racial identity of members, but the 2001 Mennonite Directory indicates about 11% of the Mennonite Church congregations in Canada and the United States are identified as Recognized Groups, affiliated with one of the following: African -American Mennonite Association, Hispanic Mennonite Convention, Lao Mennonite Ministries or United Native Ministries Council. Worldwide, the Mennonite World Conference lists 59% of Mennonite population as living in countries outside Canada, the United States, and Europe.

Of the total number of Ph.D.s conferred in 1999, as reported by the National Opinion Research Center, 43% were women and 36% were persons of color. Of U.S. citizens, nearly 48% receiving Ph.D.s were women 16% were from minority groups. These numbers indicate dramatic increases over the last 25 years.

Student body composition at Goshen College for the fall 2001 semester includes 11% international students and 7% minority students from the United States.

Goals for the composition of the Goshen College employee group are to reach 50% employment of women as teachers at each level of full, associate, and assistant professor, and also in Levels 1-3 of administrative faculty. We have not set specific timeframes by which this shall be achieved but progress is expected in both 5 and 10 year increments.

Given the disproportionate impact on percentages by only a few employees entering or leaving employment, setting goals for minority employment is difficult and may be misleading. We will seek to increase the number of persons of color employed at all levels throughout the college. Again, progress is expected over 5 and 10 year periods.

Program Administration

  1. The President will appoint an Affirmative Action Officer who will be Executive Secretary of the Affirmative Action Committee. That person will represent the Affirmative Action Committee to the President’s Council, the President and the Board of Overseers.

  2. Members of the President’s Council will be responsible for the implementation of the Affirmative Action plan in their divisions.

  3. An Affirmative Action Committee, including women and minority persons, will be appointed annually by the president with responsibility for the following activities.

    1. The committee will monitor progress on affirmative action goals and report that information to the President’s Council, the President, the Board of Directors and the Strategic Planning Committee.
    2. The committee will evaluate employment practices and policies, including performance standards and review, supervision, hiring practices and promotion policies to determine their effects on underrepresented groups and recommend changes if needed.
    3. The committee will review organizational structures and monitoring systems to be sure that they lead to effective operation of the affirmative action program and achievement of its goals and recommend changes as needed.
    4. The committee will review goals annually.
    5. The committee will see that the interview process for prospective administrators and teaching faculty includes discussion of Goshen College’s affirmative action policy to be sure that new employees are aware of the policy and support it.
    6. The committee will review each recruitment process prior to the selection of final candidates for interview to be sure that it conforms to the affirmative action policy and goals. A report will be given to the committee and will be included in the recommendation for appointment of the final candidate to the Board of Overseers. If procedures have been followed, the reviewer will be authorized to give approval to proceed with the selection process. If not, the process will be delayed until corrective actions have been taken and/or the committee approves proceeding.
    7. At the beginning of each school year, the committee and the Vice President for Multicultural Education will convene a meeting of committees on campus involved in promoting diversity and anti-racism to:
      1. inform each other of goals and activities planned for the coming year,
      2. explore the feasibility for joint efforts, and
      3. discover opportunities for mutual support.

Affirmative Action Plan and Employment

  1. Recruitment

    The following actions will be taken to increase the number of underrepresented group applicants and placements for administrative and teaching faculty positions.

    1. Serious efforts will be made to recruit underrepresented group persons as administrators and teaching faculty members for all openings with special efforts for departments where there is underrepresentation.
    2. All faculty positions will be advertised broadly to attract candidates of underrepresented groups. This may include Mennonite publications, Chronicle of Higher Education, appropriate disciplinary journals and job registers, special job listings directed toward underrepresented groups. All positions will be placed on the GC Web site. A statement will be placed on position announcements inviting members of underrepresented groups to apply.
    3. The offices of the academic dean and human resources will develop and maintain a database of potential administrators, teaching faculty, and staff persons, with special efforts to identify members of underrepresented groups. Names will be gathered in the following ways:
      1. Church administrative organizations will be asked to gather congregational and church-related data to support recruitment of members of underrepresented groups.
      2. The Board of Overseers will be asked to identify potential administrators and teaching faculty members.
      3. Recognized Groups, churches with primarily minority membership affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA and Canada, will be asked to identify potential staff, administrators and teaching faculty members.
      4. President’s Council personnel will utilize existing databases and promote networking among alumni, churches, and designated educational institutions in order to identify potential applicants as well as persons who should be encouraged to prepare for an academic career.
      5. The academic dean will develop and encourage temporary assignments and sabbatical and SST replacement plans that bring members of underrepresented groups to campus by working with academic departments and individual faculty to anticipate and plan for replacements by members of underrepresented groups.
      6. An endowment will be established to support a special visiting professor chair, that could be used to bring professors from underrepresented groups on campus to fill for temporary positions and sabbatical and SST interim positions.
      7. Sabbatical and leave of absence policies should be used to assist current administrators and teaching faculty in pursuing advanced degrees. Provide financial assistance through low-interest loans and scholarships for this purpose.
      8. Departments and existing personnel will be asked to gather names of alumni, students, and other professional contacts that are preparing for or should be encouraged to consider an academic career. Departments will develop a plan to maintain contact and will report status of potential employees to the Human Resource office by June 30 of each year.
    4. Assist persons, especially current students, with potential to become administrators and teaching faculty members to find scholarships and grants to pursue graduate study.

  2. Selection and Employment

    Efforts will be made to assure that selection and employment policies are fair. The following actions will be taken.

    1. Selection procedures, criteria, and practices will be periodically reviewed by the Affirmative Action Committee to assure that they are nondiscriminatory.
    2. The affirmative action officer will educate all persons involved in recruitment, employment, placement and training of personnel in order to equip them to implement this policy and will make them aware of applicable federal, state and local equal employment opportunity laws
    3. The affirmative action officer, in consultation with the administrator responsible for forming the search committee, will appoint to each search committee an affirmative action representative from a department other than the one in which the recruitment is being done. The Affirmative Action Committee will provide resources and counsel as needed.
    4. The Affirmative Action Officer shall interview each candidate and will communicate clear statements on the college’s position regarding racial and gender attitudes, along with information of the college’s commitment to affirmative action and campus procedures for dealing with racist and sexist issues.
    5. The affirmative action officer or a member of the Affirmative Action Committee will review each recruitment process prior to the selection of final candidates for interview to be sure that it conforms to the Affirmative Action policy and goals.
      1. Prior to interviewing candidates, a report will be given to the Affirmative Action Committee listing the final candidates and explaining the selection process. This report will be included in the recommendation for appointment of the final candidate to the Board of Overseers. This report shall include efforts taken to recruit members of underrepresented groups.
      2. If procedures have been followed, and if underrepresented groups are among the final candidates, the committee will be authorized to proceed with the selection process.
      3. If underrepresented persons are not among the final candidates, and the search process has not adequately included recruitment of underrepresented groups, the search process will be delayed until corrective actions have been taken and/or the Affirmative Action Committee approves proceeding.
    6. If candidates are approximately equal in qualifications for a position, preference will be given to members of underrepresented groups or persons with significant multicultural experience.

  3. Promotion and Salary

    Evaluation and promotion procedures will be audited by the Affirmative Action Committee to be sure that there are no discriminatory practices. The following specific actions will be taken.

    1. The director of human resources will provide an annual report of administrative faculty and staff salary levels, job classification adjustments, and promotions granted.
    2. The Rank and Tenure Committee will provide an annual report of their work to the Affirmative Action Committee.
    3. The director of human resources will compile and distribute statistics showing numbers of administrators, teaching faculty, and staff by rank, gender, ethnic group and classification to the Affirmative Action Committee, the President’s Council and the Board of Overseers.

  4. Retention

    1. The Dean will appoint a mentor for all new teaching faculty. This person will assist the new person to find ways into both the formal and informal culture and to develop relationships with other administrators and teaching faculty. The mentor will also assist the new person to learn policies and procedures.
    2. For administrative and staff positions, the supervisor or vice president will appoint a mentor.
    3. A representative of Affirmative Action will meet with all new employees in the first year to discuss their adjustment to the Goshen College environment and direct them to the proper channels.
    4. Each person leaving employment at Goshen College will be invited to an exit interview with the director of human resources or another appropriate person. Part of the purpose of the interview would be to identify any areas of dissatisfaction and suggestions for improvement.
    5. Harassment Policies and Grievance Procedure – sexual and racial harassment policies and the grievance procedure through which persons can report sexual and racial discrimination are available in print and on the web site as appendices to the faculty handbook. The Affirmative Action Committee invites any staff member, administrator or teaching faculty member to present concerns regarding possible discrimination using these policies.

  5. Policy Dissemination

    The Affirmative Action Policy will be:

    1. Listed in college publications: Student Handbook, Faculty/Staff Bulletin, and Faculty and Staff Handbooks.
    2. Reported and discussed at annual meetings with administrative, faculty, staff, and student committees as defined in the plan above.
    3. Available to higher education agencies of the Mennonite Church USA and Canada and other off-campus groups that can help in the recruitment of persons from underrepresented groups.
    4. Discussed in orientation meetings for new administrators and teaching faculty to ensure that new employees are aware of the policy and support it.