College of Health and Alaska WWAMI hosted workshop for UAA faculty and staff on recruiting and retaining diverse faculty

Dr. Uma Jayakumar talks to UAA faculty and staff.

The College of Health (COH) and Alaska WWAMI hosted a program for UAA faculty and staff on recruiting and retaining diverse faculty - "Is 'Critical Mass' Necessary for Fostering Educational Benefits and Student Success?" on August 21.

UAF and the UAF- Kuskokwim campus at Bethel attended by video conference.

Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Justice faculty, chair of  the COH Diversity Committee, introduced noted diversity scholar Dr. Uma Jayakumar of the University of San Francisco.  Dr. Jayakumar discussed the shifting landscape of diversity scholarship, including the question of "critical mass," her scholarship impacting the U.S. Supreme Court's recent diversity case, Fisher v. University of Texas (2013), and the function of affirmative action post-Fisher. She also presented information on ways to assist units in developing strategies for recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and staff.