Lawrence University has announced a new cohort of tenured professors for the next academic year. According to an article written by Director of Public Information Ed Berthiaume, citing Provost and Dean of the Faculty Peter Blitstein, this is the most diverse class of tenured professors at Lawrence. The professors being granted tenure are Assistant Professor of Biology Israel Del Toro, Assistant Professor of Spanish Thelma Jiménez-Anglada, Assistant Professor of Art History Nancy Lin, Assistant Professor of Music Theory Rebecca Perry, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Graham Sazama and Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies Jesús Gregorio Smith. Del Toro, Jiménez-Anglada, Lin and Smith are all professors of color.
Smith discussed the significance of this new diverse cohort of tenured professors. He noted that there isn’t another Black male PhD amongst the Lawrence faculty, and that Del Toro is one of the only, if not the only, Latino male PhDs. He criticized the field of academia more broadly for the lack of representation of male PhDs of color.
Smith believes that these new tenured positions show a positive change at Lawrence University, but he is hoping that this positive change stays on course.
“I think it’s one thing to say it’s the most diverse group of faculty members,” said Smith. “The question is, will we continue to see this reflection of diversity?”
Smith also credits the students at Lawrence University who came together for this change.
“There was a group of students of color who, in essence, were experiencing a lot of different aggressions and marginalization on campus,” said Smith. “The students collectively just decided to push back and to make a list of demands.”
According to Smith, among those demands were more faculty of color being hired and the addition of ethnic studies as a major. Smith said much of the work had to be credited to the students for making that push for change.