Minority Faculty Recruitment Plan

*Policy Statement: “The SIU School of Medicine is committed to cultivating a diverse campus population for the well-being of its learners and workforce. Diversity coupled with inclusion brings about a nurturing educational environment ideal for learners at all levels, the faculty who teach, and the staff who support. To that end, the School will recruit, retain, and advance a student body, faculty, and staff reflective of the diversity of the region served by the medical school. A diverse faculty includes individuals from traditionally underrepresented in medicine groups (African-Americans, Latinos, Native- American Indians, Alaskans Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders) as well as women. SIU School of Medicine’s goal is to have its learners and workforce reflect the rich diversity found in central and southern Illinois so as to advance the School’s mission of improving the health and welfare of the entire region.”

Introduction: The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is committed to fostering a work environment that is diverse and inclusive. Within this context, diversity and inclusion describe an organizational philosophy that seeks, appreciates, and respects individual differences, and where individuals of varying backgrounds and interests grow alongside one another in a secure, nurturing, professional atmosphere.

Goal: The School embraces the following plan designed to increase the opportunity for individuals from traditionally underrepresented in medicine backgrounds to be employed by the medical school in faculty positions in proportions reflective of their numbers in the surrounding community.

Methods: All faculty hires:
• Will be preceded by an Orientation to the Minority Faculty Recruitment Plan
• Will have Job Descriptions written specifically to include wording that addresses the need for underrepresented minorities (the following examples are not exhaustive: “experience providing services to multicultural populations. . .experience dealing with underrepresented minority populations. . .sensitive to the needs of minority populations”) • Will have Search Committees (when appropriate) with at least one member from an underrepresented minority group.
• Will be announced through Targeted Advertising (for example: AAMC/GDI, NMA, NAMME, CIELO, HBCUs, Black American Web, SIUSOM minority residents and alums, local minority-focused media, etc.)
• Will involve the SOM’s Minority Recruitment Host Committee during at least one campus visit made by an underrepresented minority candidate.
• Will be assigned a Mentor who will orient them to the School and the communities of Carbondale and Springfield as needed The Office of Human Resources will execute and monitor the above plan with support from the hiring department and the Office of Diversity, Multicultural and Minority Affairs.

These offices will agree upon applicable job postings before they are made public. The above plan will be evaluated on at least an annual basis for quality improvement purposes.

*From Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s Policy and Plan for Diversity and Inclusion, 2013
Updated July 2014