By NiaLaren Davis for The Gleaner at Rutgers University Camden (Spring 2020)

         At the heart of the university sits the Campus Center. Bold red letters serve as a welcoming sign and upon entering, clubs and tables invite individuals to experience a wide array of cultural cuisines, ethnic backgrounds, and global-based information sessions. 

In January, Jonathan Holloway was appointed the 21st president of Rutgers University and became the first non-white president of the state university since it was founded 254 years ago. Chancellor Phoebe Haddon recently announced that she is completing her sixth and final year as Rutgers-Camden’s first female African American leader.  Overall, Rutgers University Camden ranks number seven on the list of New Jersey’s most diverse colleges, according to Niche’s 2020 Best Colleges. 

The diversity of the student body has increased with programs like Bridging the Gap, which helps first-time students from working families attain a degree by reducing the cost of attendance and student loan burden. 

Despite these strides, diversity is still in question as there are still students who have never experienced a college course with a non-white professor. 

Jordan Hill, 21, expressed how her dual major in health sciences and psychology allowed her to experience lessons from a variety of professors.

“I really feel like I could connect more with professors that could relate to my background,” Hill said. She added that she could become comfortable around those who understood and encouraged discussions regarding race, especially considering her multiracial identity. 

Senior history student, Kenneth Riggio, 21, voiced his frustrations about the lack of diversity in regard to the teaching staff on the Rutgers Camden app.

“It hurts when I sit in classes and don’t see views outside of the same old textbook stuff that does not show an accurate picture of life,” Riggio said. “I enjoy learning from different perspectives.  I want to be a teacher and [want to] teach from all sides and views.”

In the Rutgers-Camden Arts and Sciences department, African American and Latinx students make up roughly thirty-five percent of the population; but African American and Latinx faculty only account for five percent of the population within the same department.

To combat this problem, the university introduced a Committee on Institutional Equity and Diversity (CIED) in 2010. The committee focuses on ensuring active discussions and issues on diversity.

 They identify their goals as advising the chancellor on how to improve the level of faculty diversity on campus, researching diversity data between the Rutgers campuses, and acting as a resource for faculty search committees in order to create diverse applicant pools for available campus positions.

Dr. Keith Green serves as the CIED Co-Chair, Associate Professor of English, and Director of Africana Studies. He offered insight on the subject and why progressions are necessary.

“Students can gain multiple benefits from having a diverse faculty,” Green said. “Both minority and majority groups need to see underrepresented groups in charge of classrooms.”

Green continued to explain that underrepresented groups in positions of authority can raise the confidence of those who share similar life experiences.  Diversity complicates preconceived notions about who can lead a classroom and deliver information. 

Before his eleven-year teaching career at Rutgers, Green completed his undergraduate studies at Morehouse College, a historically black all-male institution. He stated that the demographics of the faculty impacted his education.

“It was probably slightly more diverse than many U.S. colleges and universities,” he said. “I’m glad that I had the chance to learn from multiple racial, gendered, and class perspectives.” 

Green notes that viewpoints can often be limited by concepts like white supremacy, queerphobia, and patriarchy. These obstacles can be challenging when learning about other ways of life and the rest of the world. 

“Diverse faculty can help to break those systems down through their personal stories, research interests, and teaching methods,” said Green.

Two initiatives are currently underway to promote faculty diversity on the Rutgers-Camden campus. 

The CIED promoted a mandatory diversity workshop this fall for all tenure-track faculty members within the Arts and Sciences department. The committee raised questions regarding bias, supremacy, and campus demographics so that the significance of diversity would be more apparent to the teaching community. 

Due to the fact that academia faculty assist in the hiring process of other faculty members, the workshop focused on the formation of search committees and the criteria necessary to recognize and attract diverse potential hires. 

In addition, the CIED is working towards requiring each department to create action plans for attracting underrepresented candidates when faculty positions open. Under this initiative, departments will be expected to reflect and examine previous hiring practices and indicate reasons that could have prevented a more diverse staff. 

With the development of the CIED and the constant drive to promote diversity, students may be able to look forward to interacting and learning from individuals from all walks of life. 

The diversity of Rutgers-Camden has always been an intricate part of the campus’ goal to bridge the gap.

“This is not just about minority students,” Green said. “By having their expectations and worldviews challenged, everyone benefits from diverse perspectives.”