The College of Arts and Sciences highly values the excellence that results when people from different backgrounds and perspectives work, interact, and learn together. We understand that fostering these opportunities requires an unwavering commitment to greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)** across all communities that make up and are otherwise connected to The College. In step with other units across The University, we are currently pursuing our 2022-2027 Inclusive Excellence Plan. We are in the process of linking that plan and other helpful resources here. So, please stay tuned!
** The College is aware of other related language and acronyms (ex. IDEA = Inclusion/Diversity/Equity/Accessibility, JEDI = Justice/Equity/Diversity/Inclusion, DEIB Diversity/Equity/Inclusion/Belonging). We have elected to use “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) to mirror other units within The University that use the same acronym.
The College’s Approach to Recruitment
The College of Arts and Sciences embraces UVM's commitment to both Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action as defined by applicable federal and state laws. As an Equal Opportunity employer, UVM is committed to giving applicants with substantially similar credentials and experience an equal opportunity of being hired irrespective of characteristics that federal and state government have determined may not enter into employment decisions, e.g., race, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, etc. We take the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent legislation seriously; law must inform us. As an Affirmative Action employer, UVM is committed to increasing the representation of women and minorities in its workplace in the interest of creating an enriched intellectual community and as a matter of equity. President Lyndon Johnson's words also resonate: equal opportunity is a foundation, but true equality calls for more affirmative steps.
Our approach to the recruitment of diverse faculty and staff adheres to legally mandated Equal Opportunity requirements while pursuing appropriate strategies for enhancing the pool of job applicants to reflect better representation among groups recognized by UVM as targets of Affirmative Action efforts. Our goal is to have a faculty and staff that reflect the composition of the available workforce, appropriately measured.
Central to this effort is collaboration with managers, department chairs, search committees, the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, the Vice Provost for DEI, and the Office of Human Resource Services, the Office of Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity, the Chief Diversity Officer, and the Office of Human Resource Services to extend awareness and information about vacancies in the College to groups and communities where our representation is below workforce availability. It also involves the use of personal and professional networks to spread the word that UVM, Burlington, and Vermont are safe and congenial places for people to set down roots and thrive personally and professionally. Together, we look at the composition of our current workforce, identify gap areas, establish goals, design strategies, and monitor our effectiveness.
In addition, the College has provided financial and human resources to departments to implement effective recruitment plans that will insure diverse applicant pools and translate those into diverse interview pools and hiring outcomes. The job description for one of the CAS Associate Deans includes monitoring the College's effort in this regard. The Dean of the College accepts responsibility for implementing these efforts college-wide and is held accountable by the Provost and the President of UVM for achieving successful outcomes.
By the Numbers
The UVM Office of Institutional Research and Assessment regularly publishes faculty/staff data across demographics that can be filtered by college. It is available here.
The UVM Office of Institutional Research and Assessment also regularly publishes student data across demographics that can be filtered by College. It is available here.
The Catamount DEI Hub and our 2022-2027 Inclusive Excellence Plan
As a member unit of the University Diversity Council, 19 students, staff, faculty, administrators, and alumni formed a committee to draft The College’s a 2022-2027 Inclusive Excellence Plan in Fall 2022. The plan was designed to serve as the foundation for The College’s next strategic plan. Soon, community members will be able to find the latest draft of our Inclusive Excellence Plan on a centralized, campus-wide, virtual hub. More info coming soon.