Developing the Pool via Active Recruiting

1. Some programs find it very helpful to view recruiting as a year-round activity where people scout for talent and network in many settings. For example:

• Departmental seminar series are a great opportunity to regularly incorporate diverse speakers who both inspire current students and expand the network of those who would recommend strong potential faculty members.
• A couple of faculty members can be asked to seek talented senior graduate students and postdocs at conference poster sessions and cultivate their interests in the department. Particularly for top candidates from underrepresented groups, cultivating their interests from graduate school through their postdoctoral work means taking a long-term approach and staying in touch.
• Faculty members can connect with exceptional diverse colleagues and students when visiting colleagues as a seminar speaker.
• Investing in a recruiting booth at conferences organized for underrepresented groups in relevant disciplines provides opportunities cultivate faculty and student contacts at a variety of institutions.

2. The Search Committee Chair is encouraged to check periodically with Equal Opportunity Services for aggregate data on the demographics of the applicant pool. Courtney Bryant (cbryant@andrew.cmu.edu) in EOS can also discuss ideas if additional outreach efforts are desired to diversify the pool.