Albion Joins Consortium for Faculty Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges

March 15, 2021

In its continuing commitment to provide a diverse and inclusive learning and working experience, Albion College recently became a member of the Consortium for Faculty Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges.

The consortium (CFD), hosted by Gettysburg College and currently consisting of 65 liberal arts institutions from across the U.S., is committed to increasing the diversity of students, faculty members and curricular offerings, with a particular focus on enhancing the diversity of faculty members and applicant pools for faculty positions.

“Our joining the CFD is one of the many steps we are taking to diversify Albion’s faculty and have our faculty more closely reflect the diversity of our student population,” said Dr. Thomas Wilch, dean of faculty and professor of geology. “As a member institution, we have access to dossiers of CFD applicants, and currently there are more than 400 applicants in the CFD program.”

The CFD invites applications for dissertation and post-doctoral fellowships from those who are about to complete or have recently completed their terminal-degree program. Fellows, along with conducting their research, also regularly engage with students and fully participate in the day-to-day life of their academic department at the host institution.

“The CFD fellowships are teaching fellowships and focus on teaching in a liberal arts college environment,” Wilch said, adding that Albion will benefit from joining the consortium as soon as the Fall 2021 semester. “The CFD program is win-win for the fellows and the College—the fellows will gain excellent experience at an institution devoted to teaching and student learning in a welcoming environment, and the College will benefit from the diverse new perspectives of the fellows.”

“Joining this consortium is another important step forward in our continuing effort to create a diverse and inclusive experience for our students and faculty,” said Dr. Mathew Johnson, president of Albion College. “It’s a gap that must be bridged if we are to become the campus we are striving for, one to which all of our students can feel they truly belong. It’s not an easy task, for Albion and across all of higher education, but nothing worthwhile is; we’re proud to be part of the CFD.”