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Language for Ads & Announcements
- Language beyond the law required statement found in position announcements — "The University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer" — conveys a higher level of commitment. It tells potential applicants that the University values diversity.
- Proactive language can be included as a specific job qualification or as a summary statement at the end of job announcements. Examples of specific job qualifications and summary statements include the following:
- Candidates should describe previous activities mentoring minorities, women, or members of other underrepresented groups.
- Women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply.
- Successful candidates must be committed to working with diverse student and community populations.
- The University is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.
- The University is committed to building a culturally diverse educational environment. Applicants are requested to include in their cover letter information about how they will further this goal.
- The campus is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through their research, teaching and/or service.
- Candidates should describe previous activities mentoring minorities, women, or members of other underrepresented groups.
- Determining where an ad is placed is as important as what language is used in the advertisement. Departments should be cautious about spending large sums of money to advertise in special diversity newsletters or publications. Reputable publications such as the Chronicle of Higher Education or those distributed by national discipline-based organizations can be counted on to actually reach intended audiences. The growth of the Internet has introduced a large number of additional venues for placing ads. Many online services offer an institutional subscription rate for placing ads.
