Cultivating a Diverse and Inclusive Community is one of our strategic priorities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Samniqueka Halsey, CAFNR’s Faculty Fellow for Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity and assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources, shares that all professional track faculty positions in CAFNR will now require a diversity statement – this new requirement is one of the activities in our strategic plan. The goal is for activities such as this to cultivate a more diverse faculty, staff and administration.

The requirement for a diversity statement as part of applications should be included in all open position posts, Halsey says. Wording in the position description should read similar to the following: The University of Missouri values diversity and is committed to working towards achieving equity and inclusion within all its programs. Candidates applying for this position are required to provide a statement addressing how they would utilize their former experience and knowledge to promote diversity and inclusion at the university and how that commitment would add value to (dept/division).

This is a positive step toward recruiting a more diverse and inclusive CAFNR community, Halsey says. She also recommends that hiring committees take note of Mizzou’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity’s Guide to Faculty Recruitment, available online. Resources include guides to pre-search activities, creating a search committee, creating a diversity recruitment plan, identifying potential candidates and resources, interviewing candidates, and evaluating candidates.

Please contact Dr. Samniqueka Halsey or CAFNR Business Services with any questions.