Hiring policies aimed at increasing diversity

Like at many other universities in Europe, women, and minorities are underrepresented in academic staff positions at the University of Groningen, including at FSE. FSE has various policies in place to improve this situation.

FSE has a long-standing and active policy to increase the percentage of female academic staff. While this policy has indeed led to an increase in female academic staff, the desired level has not yet been attained, particularly not at the levels of Associate and Full Professor. Policies that are specifically directed at increasing the number of female staff include the following: 

• FSE regularly reserves special positions for women with great academic potential, particularly under the Rosalind Franklin program. 

• The Faculty Board requires selection committees within the Faculty to actively search for female candidates and in principle to shortlist at least 40% female candidates for interviews. 

• Female candidates for academic positions are given preference over male candidates with equivalent qualifications.

Measures directed at increasing diversity more generally include the rule that selection committees work in accordance with the UG recruitment guide and that all FSE members of these committees must have followed inclusive recruitment training in the past five years.