Spring 2005
The Quest
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Q: Why is faculty diversity a top priority for this campus?

A: We teach in one of the most heterogeneous regions of the country, perhaps the world. To create a rich academic experience for our students and a cultural environment where all feel welcome, it’s essential that we have both the strongest faculty academically, and one that also represents all sectors of our society.

A diverse faculty is needed to attract and support a diverse student body. Students see faculty members as role models. Whether they are women or members of underrepresented groups, students can envision their own potential through these faculty, many of whom had to overcome the same obstacles and barriers these students may encounter. It’s our responsibility to help students find a way to get through, over or around those barriers.

Q: How far has UCLA come to achieving faculty diversity?

A: If you look across the campus, including the medical school, the numbers among ladder-rank faculty have remained steady over the last five years — at 8 percent for African Americans, Native Americans and Latinos combined, for example. The percentage of Asians has increased from 12 percent to 13 percent. The percentage of women on the faculty has risen slightly, from 23 percent to 24 percent. So we’re in an upward trajectory, but certainly not at any rapid pace. We have work ahead. Social change takes time to achieve.

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