Academic Keys' Commitment to Diversity

Our country was founded on the principles of unity and diversity and has always depended on difference as well as unity for strength. As universities prepare for the future, they must acknowledge the tremendous demographic changes that are occurring in the nation as a whole.

As microcosms of U.S. society, universities require a diverse faculty teaching and learning with a diverse student body. A diverse faculty enriches the experiences of all students. Not only do a variety of perspectives have scholarly importance, they also prepare students to live in a global society. It is more important than ever for all of us to understand people who are different from ourselves.

Minority scholars are introducing new perspectives and fresh questions in university classrooms. While they have invigorated disciplines by contributing a wealth of new scholarship, the number of minority professors is still alarmingly small and the pipeline is fragile. Across all disciplines ninety percent of professors are white even though our population consists of 12% African-Americans and 9% Hispanics. Only 26% of tenured academic posts are held by women (1995 data).

Since its inception, Academic Keys has always reached out to institutions that serve the traditionally underrepresented populations. Our monthly e-Fliers circulate our job announcements to over 6,000 faculty at Ph.D-granting universities which primarily serve women, African-Americans and Hispanics. In addition we send our e-Fliers to more than 300,000 Deans, Department Heads and Faculty, some of which fall into these minority groups. We understand the importance of a diverse workforce and have designed all our programs to intentionally reach out to these underserved populations.