Bowdoin's number of black faculty is the lowest among highly-ranked liberal arts colleges, according to a recent study by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (JBHE).
A summer 2005 article in JBHE showed that of Bowdoin's 152 faculty, only three, or two percent, are black. Of the 21 liberal arts colleges that gave statistics to JBHE, Bowdoin's percentage is the lowest.
Dean for Academic Affairs Craig McEwen said that the College is working hard to promote diversity among the faculty.
"It's not something we're happy about," McEwen said of Bowdoin's lack of diversity. "We're taking steps to change this pattern."
Bowdoin also holds the lowest percentage of black tenured faculty, with 1.1 percent, or one black professor out of 94 tenured faculty. Of the 23 schools that provided data to JBHE, only Claremont McKenna College had only one tenured black professor.
The study also noted that Bowdoin had five black faculty members in 1999, which put Bowdoin's one-time black percentage of total faculty at 4.4%.
According to JBHE, just over five percent of all full-time faculty members at colleges and universities in the United States are black.
Dean for Academic Advancement Kassie Freeman, in charge of increasing staff diversity at Bowdoin, said that she has found a strong reception to her cause.
"I've been meeting with department chairs and I've found great openness and willingness to enhance the diversity," she said. "Bowdoin is a place that really values difference."
Freeman, herself black, pointed to her employment as a "reflection of the College's desire to increase African American faculty."
Devon Layne '09, who is taking the Africana Studies course "Blackness in America" this semester, offered further thoughts as to why diversity within the faculty was important.
"For certain topics I would prefer a black professor," he said. "You would expect a black professor for my class, because to truly represent 'Blackness in America' you have to experience and live as a black person."
The one black tenured professor at Bowdoin is Randy Stakeman, the director of the Africana Studies department. Stakeman is on leave this semester.
JBHE found that of liberal arts colleges, Haverford has the most diverse faculty; 7.9 percent of the faculty are black. Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Wesleyan, and Swarthmore round out the top five. Bates is eighth, at 5.6 percent, and Colby is 19, at 3.1 percent.
The study found that liberal arts colleges, though located in more rural areas, were more diverse than universities. JBHE suggested that the reason for this discrepancy was due to liberal arts colleges's focus on the humanities, where black academics are more common.
McEwen said he supported increasing the number of black faculty at Bowdoin, specifically by recruiting African American academics.
"Bowdoin is committed to affirmative action to hire faculty and staff," McEwen said.
In order to "widen the applicant pool," Bowdoin must "actively recruit" instead of "passively wait for potential applicants to reply to ads," he said.
"I think it's important for our faculty to represent a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences in order to provide a richer learning environment to our students," said McEwen.