At the May 2020 meeting, the University Senate approved policy that says the BIE criteria "shall govern all tenured and tenure-track faculty searches. Successful candidates for all such searches must satisfy two or more of the following BIE criteria, and these criteria shall be explicitly included in any and all search advertisements."

The candidate..

1. Is committed to engaging in service with underrepresented populations within the discipline
2. Has demonstrated knowledge of barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline
3. Has experience or has demonstrated commitment to teaching and mentoring underrepresented students
4. Has experience or has demonstrated commitment to integrating understanding of underrepresented populations and communities into research
5. Has experience in or has demonstrated commitment to extending knowledge of opportunities and challenges in achieving artistic/scholarly success to members of an underrepresented group
6. Has experience in or has demonstrated commitment to research that engages underrepresented communities
7. Has expertise or demonstrated commitment to developing expertise in cross-cultural communication and collaboration
8. Has research interests that contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education

While a recent graduate will likely have less experience, EVERY candidate has had opportunities to engage in activities that indicate a commitment to equity and inclusion; the question is whether they have taken advantage of those opportunities or not. For example, most universities offer workshops and other trainings on pedagogy for graduate students, whether or not they are teaching; most professional associations have sub-committees or SIGs that organize conference sessions and other activities related to equity and inclusion; every campus has opportunities for people to learn about diverse communities through presentations, seminars, etc. In many fields, a candidate would be considered somewhat more desirable if they have been proactive about presenting their research at conferences and other settings (which even graduate students can do); the BIE similarly asks us to consider candidates as more desirable if they have proactively engaged in activities that reflect they value equity and inclusion. Committees are encouraged to share this Guidance for Faculty Candidates directly with candidates.

Once departments have selected their finalists for campus interviews, a review committee will evaluate each candidate to ensure they meet the required qualifications and criteria. The BIE Review Committee is comprised of members of the Senate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, and representatives appointed by the Provost and by the Chief Diversity Officer.

The original BIE program was developed by the strategic plan working group on the Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented Faculty, reviewed and approved by the Senate committees on Faculty Affairs, Diversity, Equity, and Outreach (now Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), Academic Policy and Planning, and Academic Resources and Planning, and authorized by the Provost. Modifications to this process were made in response to findings from the BIE self-study from the Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented Faculty and from the Academic Dean’s Council. Subsequent changes were reviewed and approved by the Senate committee on Diversity, Equity, and Outreach.

Under the original program, a small pool of tenure-track faculty lines were set aside each year. Departments conducting regular faculty searches could then apply for one of those additional lines if they had qualified finalists who met two or more BIE program criteria.

In Fall 2019, the original BIE program was suspended and the original criteria were used in a process for a special cohort of accreditation-related searches approved to begin in December 2019. 

In May 2020, the University Senate voted to extend that process to all faculty hires going forward.