Promoting Faculty Diversity: The Faculty Fellows Program at Appalachian State University

This paper presents an innovative approach to attracting and retaining faculty members from underrepresented populations at Appalachian State University (ASU). The need for, and benefits of, faculty diversity in academia is presented. The challenges in recruiting and retaining faculty from diverse backgrounds are discussed. The Faculty Fellows Program has been designed at ASU in order to overcome some of these challenges. This program is funded through the Provost's office and is part of other university-wide efforts to increase on-campus diversity. We present a detailed description of the program in terms of recruiting and retention strategies and conclude with some data on the program's progress and impact to date. The authors wish to thank Linda K. Robinson, associate vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and compliance at Appalachian State University for her contribution to the completion of this manuscript. (Contains 4 figures.)