The University of Texas System has instituted a new policy that requires search committees to have a minority candidate among the finalists for every senior level administrative post on campus. The new regulation is designed after the “Rooney Rule,” which requires all teams in the National Football League to interview a minority candidate for every head coaching vacancy.
The university notes that across the system’s 14 institutions, 39 percent of students are Hispanic, yet just 11 percent of the faculty is Hispanic. Likewise, 7 percent of the student body is African American, compared to 4 percent of the faculty. And 53 percent of students are female, but only 42 percent of the faculty are women.
William H. McRaven, chancellor of the University Texas, explained the new policy by stating that “we want to ensure that qualified women and minorities have an opportunity to be considered for every senior level position. Making sure our leadership, faculty and staff reflect the changing look of Texas is not just about fairness. It’s also about effectiveness. Change starts at the top. We need administrators, campus leaders and faculty whom women and minority students can look to as role models and mentors and who better understand the students they’re serving and where they’re from.”
