The loss of faculty at any university is a troubling matter, but when the losses amount to an almost record number, then a university such as Iowa State needs to seriously ask itself why this is happening and what can be done to stop the mass departure. Ignoring the matter by simply replacing faculty is no solution to an increasing revolving door of faculty.

My experience at this institution is going on three years, and within that time frame I have met and said good-bye to several excellent administrators and tenure track faculty members from the university. There were several commonalties among these faculty members as to why they left, but the clearest common denominator had to be a lack of institutional support for junior faculty and especially faculty of color.

For example, according to the latest figures provided by the ISU Fact Book 2001 – 2002, of the 1,427 tenure and tenure-eligible faculty, African American, Latino, and American Indian faculty represent only 3.5 percent, or 49 individuals on this campus. These numbers are not much different from the figures given 40 years ago.

There has been much talk at this university about diversity and its importance to the overall mission and vision of Iowa State. However, the departure of faculty, regardless of background, makes a mockery of any diversity plan when the cornerstone of such a strategy is not in place.

The statistical evidence is hard to argue against and it demonstrates a widening gap that if not stopped will make Iowa State a second-rate university, and those suffering most will be the students. The poor treatment of faculty must cease. At the same time, the university and various colleges must respond to the needs of all faculty. There are programmatic mechanisms currently in place that if allowed to work properly can facilitate the recruitment and retention of excellent faculty at this university. However, these entities cannot function with one hand tied behind their back or without

the support of the university. Those faculty who decide to remain here will be determined not by what the university did five years ago or even last year, but what it is doing now to address the concerns of a growing group of discontented individuals.

Higher education is a public trust and not the domain of a few, or our personal possession.

Jerry Garc¡a

Director

U.S. Latina/o Studies Program