Three Strikes for Diversity and Fairness at UA

Last year, the University of Arkansas Faculty Senate reported that the number of teaching faculty had been reduced and the number of administrators had grown significantly since John White became Chancellor. In fact, they found that the UA had more administrators than faculty members.

Then, despite all the yammering about how the UA was committed to increasing diversity among the student body, the number of African-American students (and basketball coaches) dropped below what it was the previous year.

Now comes a report that male faculty members are paid considerably more than female faculty members at all academic ranks. The greatest discrepancy is among the new hires in the recent years of the John White era. Among faculty at the Assistant Professor level, men average $66,000 (that's more than the average for female Associate Professors), and women average only $55,000--that is to say, women make 83 cents for every dollar men are paid.

Both male and female faculty members at the UA are paid an average of $12,000 less than their faculty colleagues in the Southern University Group.

So, White Boy White's billion dollar legacy is now clear: (1) rampant growth of high-paid administrators, (2) a higher ratio of students to faculty, (3) a less diverse student population, and (4) growing disparity in pay for women faculty.