The College Fix

Applicants should be effective at teaching chemistry and committed to ‘anti-racism’

Minnesota State University-Mankato chemistry professor applicants should be committed to “diversity, equity, and inclusion” and have a history of using “an equity lens” in their career, according to a job opening.

The current job posting requires information on degrees, grades, a “statement of teaching philosophy,” and “brief diversity statement,” among other requests.

The one-page statement should explain the applicant’s “views and actions toward advancing DEI including dimensions of social justice and racial equity related to race, gender, ability and culture.”

“How would your views and prior actions regarding diversity, equity and inclusion align with Minnesota State University, Mankato’s goals,” the school asks.

“Demonstrated ability to serve a diverse population and apply an equity lens to this position including social justice and/or anti-racism” and “Demonstrated effectiveness in teaching chemistry” are both listed as “minimum qualifications.’

The university said there is no “specific weight” given to the diversity statement and other application materials, such as prior research.

“At Minnesota State University, Mankato, the employee hiring process reflects the University’s vision, which includes improving a diverse community and world, and its core values, which includes ‘diversity in who we are and what we do,’” spokesman Daniel Benson told The College Fix via email.

He said, “all submitted materials are considered when reviewing applications, and there is no specific weight given to each of the required statements or other required material.”

The Fix asked a follow-up question about how President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting DEI in higher education might affect the job opening. “The language of the order is vague, and we are an open access institution working to support all students as they work towards their educational goals,” Benson said.

American Chemical Society ‘all in’ on DEI, professor says

The job is listed on the American Chemical Society website – the group has been “all in” on DEI, according to an emeritus chemistry professor at Florida International University. “It is yet unclear to me how that will need to change as a result of the Trump EO on DEI,” Professor John Landrum told The Fix soon after the order came out and in response to questions about this position.

The ACS lists “inclusion and belonging” as a “core value.”

Professor Landrum is a critic of diversity initiatives in higher education, previously criticizing an academic paper that called for a “feminism” STEM class proposal.

He pointed out the job posting came out prior to Trump’s executive order.

“It may well be that wheels are turning and changes are taking place,” Professor Landrum said. “There is an interval created by the need for ‘official’ processes and notification.”

Some higher education job postings put an emphasis on “equity” and other related concepts.

As recently reported by The Fix:

A team of University of Pittsburgh scholars found that 48 percent of the roughly 67,000 job postings within the fields of education, business management, and social and behavioral sciences “were identified as having equity as the principal value…

…“In contrast, quality was identified as the principal value in less than 5 percent of postings, while choice and efficiency are present even more rarely.”

Meanwhile, the University of California Davis required breast cancer surgeon applicants to submit a diversity statement, while not requiring a “teaching” or “research” statement.

It is not just professor and administrator roles that mandate diversity statements, however.

Eastern Washington University asked applicants for a janitor job opening to “attach a diversity response,” as The Fix previously reported.

The University of California Berkeley used the statements to weed out candidates, according to documents obtained by The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

MORE: NYU’s ‘Climate Action’ event has students ‘meditate’ with plants

IMAGE: Stefano Oppo/Corelens

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