In A Different Mirror, his multicultural history of the United States, Ronald Takaki stresses the importance to students of bringing a full range of ethnic and racial perspectives into the classroom. “What happens, to borrow the words of Adrienne Rich, ‘when someone with the authority of a teacher' describes our society, and ‘you are not in it'?" he writes. “Such an experience can be disorienting—a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing." As Jeffrey Milem, associate professor of education at the University of Maryland, has noted, the “mirror" that faculty of color tend to provide is a multifaceted one. Writes Milem, “Scholarly interests of faculty [of color] lead them to incorporate readings into their courses that represent the experiences of women and people of color in society. The readings expose some of their students to new perspectives and allow others to see aspects of their own experience included in the curriculum."

Beverly Daniel Tatum, dean of the College, agrees that diversity benefits everyone. “The presence of a diverse faculty and staff is an important part of our effort to create a powerful learning environment for all of our students. Students of color who see themselves reflected in the diversity of the faculty and staff are less likely to experience the sense of alienation and invisibility that sometimes characterizes their experiences on predominantly white campuses. White students also benefit from the opportunity to be exposed to perspectives and life experiences that may be different from their own. Speaking personally, one of the reasons I came to Mount Holyoke in 1989 was because of the evident commitment to faculty diversity, and now as dean, I find that our success in this area makes it easier for me to attract talented staff of color as well."

MHC's curricular and cocurricular life is enriched by its faculty of color in exactly the way Milem and Tatum describe. For example, Nina Gerassi-Navarro, associate professor of Spanish, has brought her scholarly interests into classes such as Building the Nation with Outlaws: Bandits and Pirates in Spanish America. Lois Brown, assistant professor of English, rediscovered the first African American biography, Memoir of James Jackson, The Attentive and Obedient Scholar, Who Died in Boston, October 31, 1833, Aged Six Years and Eleven Months, a narrative that sheds new light on the spiritual and political education of African American children in the antebellum North. A new edition of the work, edited and with an introduction by Brown, was reissued last year by Harvard University Press.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sean Decatur, who specializes in the study of how protein molecules fold, has received prestigious grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Dreyfus Foundation. In addition to his research, some of Decatur's grants have gone toward course curriculum and laboratory improvement, curriculum integration, and instrumentation. Decatur was instrumental in organizing last winter's conference Race and Science: What's the Connection?, a series of events that brought to Mount Holyoke's campus a group of distinguished scholars and activists to examine a wide range of ways that race and science intersect. Notes Decatur, “While I've had many mentors (of all races), having the opportunity to meet and work with African American teachers/scientists while I was a high school student and an undergraduate was very significant in motivating me to pursue a career in chemistry. Achieving diversity in a range of fields is important; it sends a message that all branches of knowledge are open to everyone, regardless of race. Even in the so-called ‘objective' hard sciences (like chemistry), one's own experiences and identity play a role in shaping one's perspective on the discipline."

While success in the area of faculty diversification is easy to qualify, it can be a bit harder to quantify—as it is difficult to obtain comparative data from comparable institutions about this subject. However, research conducted by other organizations and informal survey results confirm MHC's leadership role in this area. In the spring 2000 issue of Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, for example, MHC ranked third among the nation's prestigious liberal arts colleges for having the highest number of black faculty. The publication notes, “The performance of Amherst and Mount Holyoke [in having blacks make up 6.9 percent of the total full-time faculty], both located in rural areas of western Massachusetts, is a signal achievement, especially when the results are compared to their nearby peer institutions Williams and Smith, where blacks make up 2.5 percent and 3.9 percent of the total faculty respectively."

In addition, a recent informal poll conducted by MHC's Office of the Dean of Faculty of twelve liberal arts colleges in the Northeast comparable to MHC revealed that Mount Holyoke has the highest percentage of faculty of color and the fourth highest percentage of women faculty. At present, 45 percent of the College's faculty members are women and 20 percent are men and women of color. Twelve faculty members are black, seven are Hispanic, sixteen are Asian, and one is Native American. The hiring trend at the College is toward diversification. For example, among full professors, 38 percent are women, and 10 percent are men and women of color. Among assistant professors (those who have been at the College for six years or less), 44 percent are people of color and 62 percent are women.

What accounts for MHC's success in the area of building a diverse faculty? “Diversity and community are core values of the institution that resonate with all constituents," says President Joanne Creighton. “In The Plan for Mount Holyoke 2003, we recommitted ourselves to building a community of students, faculty, and staff that celebrates cultural, ethnic, and religious difference, as well as those human qualities we all hold in common." According to Sally Sutherland, associate dean of the faculty, “The diversity of our faculty is a tribute to the thorough search procedures of departments, to the commitment of a succession of deans—Peter Berek especially—and to the powerful message sent forth by President Creighton." Sutherland also cites as a significant factor the work of the Faculty Affirmative Action Committee, established as a standing committee in 1987 and charged with assisting the faculty in achieving the College's affirmative action goals—to diversify the racial, ethnic, and cultural composition of the College community.

The committee, headed by history professor Lynda Morgan, advises departments and programs on ways to conceive and conduct searches to enhance diversification of the faculty. Says Morgan, “The numbers speak for themselves. In order to keep MHC in these high rankings, it will be necessary for the College to make sure its efforts remain as strong as they have been recently. We need to remember, as well, that as an undergraduate college, we are training the pool from which the next generation of faculty will emerge. It is therefore important that we stress affirmative action at the faculty as well as the student level."

What are the benefits of a diverse faculty? In conjunction with the American Council on Education, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) recently sponsored a survey to find out and published excerpts from it, as well as a series of articles about the value of diversifying the academy, in the September-October 2000 issue of its publication Academe. “Whether it's by encouraging more classroom interaction or opening up new fields of scholarship, teachers from minority groups can enrich the educational experiences of everybody on campus," writes Ellen Schrecker, the publication's editor.

Says Donal O'Shea, dean of the faculty, “Seeking diversity on the faculty is the story of finding extraordinary talent and intellect that we might otherwise not have found. It is about increasing the collective experience, intelligence, and brainpower of the faculty, and making that available for the formation of students' minds and identities."

A recent study conducted by Jeffrey Milem on behalf of the American Council on Education, and described in Academe, revealed some of the benefits diversity brings to institutions. He examined the relationship between the race and gender of faculty members and the three missions of the university: research, teaching, and service. “I found that women faculty and faculty of color differ from their colleagues in ways that advance their institutions' missions," he wrote. “For example, they are more likely to use active pedagogical techniques, which have been shown to improve student learning. In addition, their teaching methods tend to encourage students to interact with peers from different backgrounds through class discussions, collaborative learning, and group projects. And many engage in service-related activities and scholarship that address issues of race, ethnicity, and gender."

In another study cited in Academe (Anthony Antonio's 1999 Stanford University study), faculty of color were found to be 30 percent more likely than white faculty to value the emotional development of students as well as the out-of-class experience as part of the educational charge of faculty members as teachers. Faculty of color were found to be 63 percent more likely than white faculty to "pursue a position in the academy because they drew a connection between the professoriate and the ability to effect change in society."

While Mount Holyoke has done well in attracting and retaining faculty of color, efforts will continue to increase faculty diversity on campus. Says Creighton, "The College is committed to making diversity a cornerstone of its educational mission. This millennium will be one of increasing pluralism and globalization. It is critical that Mount Holyoke educate its students with a curriculum and within an environment that reflect these new realities."