A newly created program aimed at fostering a diverse
workplace at Johns Hopkins has already
borne fruit — a bumper crop that exceeded
expectations.
The Johns Hopkins University announced in April that
it will provide at least $5 million over the
next five years in matching funds to assist deans,
department chairs and search committees to
continue to recruit diverse faculty. In June, the School of
Medicine and The Johns Hopkins Hospital
pledged an additional $1.25 million to the initiative.
The initial call for applications for funds drew a
robust response and resulted in the hire of
eight new faculty in five university divisions. All the
hirings, which were confirmed this month, were
made possible in part by support from Mosaic funding.
Twenty applications for funding were submitted to the
Provost's Office by the June deadline.
Johnson said that she was "extremely pleased and
overwhelmed" with the initial response to the
initiative, both in the number of applications and the high
caliber of people being considered for
faculty appointments.
"With this new funding source, we were able to put
together some attractive packages and help
recruit some very talented individuals," she said. "It's
all about deepening our excellence, and I'm very
excited about this initiative."
Johnson said that recruiting a faculty of leading
scholars that also reflects America's diversity
is essential to accomplishing the university's mission of
teaching, research, patient care and service.
The Mosaic Initiative is initially funded at a minimum
of $1 million per year. A department may
apply for funds to the dean or director of its division,
who will prioritize requests and forward them
to the provost. Departments may make proposals for up to
$250,000, to be spent over three years, on
such items as salary, research support and laboratory
equipment. Funds will be allocated on a rolling
basis; allocation will continue as long as dollars are
available in any recruiting year.
Johnson said that Johns Hopkins has made great strides
in diversity in recent years, and the
Mosaic Initiative adds momentum to and facilitates ongoing
efforts.
"We're trying to help the deans achieve their
diversity goals, and this initiative puts more funds
behind their efforts," she said.
Ray Gillian, vice provost for institutional
equity and administrator of the Mosaic Initiative, said
that Mosaic funding supplements the resources available
from the schools and divisions. He said the
recent eight hires were made through the regular search
process, but Mosaic funds were able to
assist and complete these appointments.
Gillian is a part of a review panel that recommends
the most deserving individuals from the pool
of eligible candidates. "We are looking for people who add
to the diversity and academic excellence of
the university," Gillian said. "There were actually more
outstanding candidates than we were able to
support."
Both Johnson and Gillian said the initiative increases
the visibility of the university's diversity
efforts.
"It really shows our commitment in this area," Gillian
said. "The response was immediate. Some
very talented individuals considered us in a way they may
not have considered us in the past."
Johnson said she hopes the Mosaic Initiative can help
attract 25 to 30 new faculty within the
next five years. The actual number of diversity hires
during that time can be much greater, she said.
"I think this initiative will have a strong ripple
effect," Johnson said. "It will not only raise
awareness to diversity issues, but it can expand the
applicant pool and bring in a lot of great
candidates to our campuses. In existing searches, if we
have two top candidates for a position and one
fits the Mosaic criteria, we are able to hire both. Even if
there is not enough Mosaic funding to go
around, the department might find the funds internally in
order to secure the hire."
The Mosaic Initiative also has a long-term component
to address pipeline issues. Funds are
available to invite eligible faculty and graduate students
to Johns Hopkins for professional
development workshops to better prepare them for a career
in academia.
The initial funds for the Mosaic Initiative came from
President William R. Brody's discretionary
account and financial support from the Society of Black
Alumni.
Edward D. Miller, dean of the medical faculty, said
that Johns Hopkins Medicine chose to
support the initiative because it fits in with its
long-term diversity goals.
"We have been working on this since our retreat two
years ago, but our efforts in this area
actually started much longer ago than that," Miller said.
"The Department of Medicine has been
leading the way, but even having a chief of surgery who is
a woman is another example of our diversity.
We need to look for the brightest people we can find and
then make sure they feel welcome."
One of the School of Medicine's hires was Carlton
Haywood, currently a doctoral candidate in
the Bioethics and Health Policy program at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Haywood said it was a dream come true when the School of
Medicine hired him to be an assistant
professor in the Department of Medicine. Specifically,
Haywood will focus on hematology and quality
of care issues affecting persons with sickle cell disease.
Haywood himself suffers from the blood
disorder.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to work with great
faculty who have been very supportive of
me, particularly the health issues I face," Haywood said.
"They also share my interests of improving
the lives of people affected with sickle cell disease. This
is a wonderful initiative. It helps Johns
Hopkins reflect the diversity that is here in the United
States. I'm very appreciative of Provost
Johnson's efforts to champion this initiative and to value
diversity."
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