Talent Infusion
A new cohort of faculty members grows the college’s expertise in race, ethnicity and indigenous studies — and they’ll soon have company.
Dr. Sergio González may be Marquette University’s first Latinx Studies professor, but he’s no lone soldier. Hired with a cohort of scholars recruited to help develop a comprehensive new Race, Ethnic and Indigenous Studies program (REIS), González says the prospect of instant camaraderie was a major draw.
“Often universities hire an individual or two, and you can feel like you’re out in the woods doing some of this work,” says the assistant professor of history and expert in Midwestern Latinx communities. “It’s been great to have colleagues to talk with about how it’s going and the important work we are doing and how we can share that work eventually.”
The “cluster hire” approach of bringing in diverse scholars who study and teach about race, ethnicity and intersectionality — the ways in which systems of power and institutions impact marginalized populations — “infuses the curriculum quickly and creates a better environment for (the scholars) as new people to our campus,” says Dr. Heather Hathaway, acting dean of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, which is collaborating on the initiative with other colleges at Marquette and the Office of the Provost.
It’s been great to have colleagues to talk with about how it’s going and the important work we are doing and how we can share that eventually. — Dr. Sergio González
Joining Marquette last fall, González’s five-person cohort includes three new assistant professors of philosophy: Dr. Kimberly Harris, Dr. Stephanie Rivera Berruz and Dr. Desiree Valentine, Comm ’10. Collectively, their specialties embrace Africana philosophy, feminist philosophy, critical philosophy of race, queer theory and Latin American philosophy. Through an extension of the same program, the hiring of another five faculty members in Arts and Sciences is underway for the 2019−2020 academic year, with the colleges of Communication and Education also filling new faculty positions.
Helping students grapple constructively with the challenges of living, learning and working in a diversifying society is not only practical, but it also honors Marquette’s Jesuit ideals, says Dr. Grant Silva, assistant professor of philosophy and interim REIS program coordinator. Supporting new faculty members honors those ideals too. “Cluster hires, generally speaking, have higher rates of retention, especially for folks from non-represented groups in academia,” says Rivera Berruz. “Navigating institutions in the midst of transition is easier with that structure in place to support you.”
— BY PAULA WHEELER
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