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Former Professors Say MU Needs To Change Retention Tactics to Keep Black Faculty

When the original administration building of the university burned in 1892 the columns were left standing. They stand today on Francis Quadrangle and are an iconic image of the university's Columbia campus.
Jay Buffington
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Wikimedia Commons
When the original administration building of the university burned in 1892 the columns were left standing. They stand today on Francis Quadrangle and are an iconic image of the university's Columbia campus.

Black faculty members at the University of Missouri say the school needs to reconsider retention tactics if it hopes to recruit and keep faculty of color.

Last fall, student activist group Concerned Student 1950 demanded an increase in black faculty and staff at the university to 10 percent, up from the current 2.8 percent, by the 2017 to 2018 academic year. University officials have indicated their intention to recruit faculty of color.

But nine former faculty members told administrators in November that the effort will be all for nothing if the university can't retain them.

Black faculty often spend more time mentoring non-white students and faculty, making arguments for promotion, and participating on boards and committees, challenges that have been enough for some to leave.  

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