Black faculty concerned about diversity of hires at USC

The University of South Carolina’s Black Faculty Caucus is worried about a “mass exodus” of Black faculty and administrators and is calling on USC to prioritize recruiting and retaining diverse hires.

“We are concerned that the university’s commitment to Black faculty and administration is rhetorical and not supported with action,” the caucus said in a letter obtained by The State.

In the Aug. 30 letter addressed to USC President Michael Amiridis and Provost Donna Arnett, the caucus pointed out a pattern of Black faculty leaving the university and candidates of color being passed up for leadership positions.

“We stress there is a need for the successful recruitment and advancement of African Americans to serve in leadership posts relevant to the core academic and research missions of the university,” the letter read.

Of the university’s 54 leadership positions, there are no Black women and only five Black men, according to the letter.

USC has no Black deans, the letter observed. According to the letter, no African American has ever served a full term as academic dean of a school or college.

About 11% of all university faculty are “underrepresented minorities,” according to the USC Office for Institutional Research, Assessment and Analytics.

The letter also shared that a disproportionate amount of Black faculty are leaving USC. Of the 12 faculty members that left the College of Arts and Sciences following the 2021-2022 academic year, eight were Black, according to the caucus’ letter.

The letter recalled several searches in which Black candidates were not chosen, despite being well-qualified. It noted positions like university president, provost and dean of libraries were not filled by well-qualified Black candidates, but instead their white counterparts.

Former provost William Tate was one of four top candidates for USC’s president in 2019. Ultimately, the board chose Bob Caslen, though documents showed that Tate was a clear favorite among students and faculty.

Tate is now the president of Lousiana State University and the first African American selected as a university president in the Southeastern Conference.

USC’S research and analytics office reported that last year, about 9.5% of all students enrolled at USC — undergraduate, graduate and professional — were Black.

Nearly one-third of South Carolina’s population is Black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This lack of inclusivity, the caucus said, “prevents full opportunities for African Americans to flourish and thrive at USC.”

Gloria Swindler Boutte, chair of the Black Faculty Caucus, said their concerns were heard and plans are being made to address them. Boutte did not comment further.

Arnett, the provost, told The State that the university recruits and develops minority faculty.

“This is a national problem,” Arnett said. “In every university I’ve been in, it’s been an issue. It’s not unique to South Carolina. Do we have a responsibility to make it better? Yes. It’s a priority of mine.”

Other major public universities in South Carolina report a wide range of percentages of minority faculty. Clemson University’s full-time instructional faculty is about 4% Black. About 16% of College of Charleston’s full-time faculty are “members of minorities.” About 8% of Coastal Carolina University’s full-time instructional faculty are “members of minority groups.” Over 5% of Winthrop University’s full-time instructional faculty are “members of minority groups.”

Universities are heavily recruiting, Arnett said. Many of USC’s Black faculty leaving are going to other institutions with more resources that can pay them more.

“We have a great track record of hiring and getting them their first grant, making them very competitive, and then they get poached,” Arnett said.

Arnett said she is exploring pathways for faculty to be promoted from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure and from associate professor to full professor. She is launching a program for underrepresented minority faculty, which was first conceptualized by Tate, who served as USC’s provost before moving to LSU. The program will focus on the barriers USC has to promotion and tenure.

USC has active searches for the deans of the Darla Moore School of Business, the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sports Management and the Graduate School. There will be an upcoming search for the dean of the College of Social Work.

Arnett said that a “diverse” co-chair will be nominated to every search committee.

“It’s important for our students to have role models that reflect their background, whether that be race, gender or sexual orientation,” said Arnett, who became USC’s provost in August. Amiridis became the school’s president in July.

The Black Faculty Caucus said that while its members “are cautiously hopeful about what can be achieved under (Amiridis’ and Arnett’s) leadership … we also have fundamental concerns.”

“Therefore, any sense of hope must be tempered and grounded in the realities of the past and current direction of the university,” the letter read.