On September 28, 2023, the Department of Education released a report titled “Strategies for Increasing Diversity and Opportunity in Higher Education.” The report was issued in response to the Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling against affirmative action in college admissions and it outlines ways institutions and states can adapt to prioritize improved accessibility to educational... View Article
On August 7, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a proposed rule to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The proposed rule provides a framework for how the EEOC plans to enforce protections granted to pregnant workers under the PWFA. In December, the PWFA was signed into law through the Consolidated Appropriations Act... View Article
This blog post was contributed by Yves Salomon-Fernández, president of Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts. As a community college president, I found this past year especially hard. As we now know from the data recently released by the National Student Clearinghouse, the community college segment within higher education suffered the worst decline in enrollment. Not... View Article
Which of the following statements are true for higher education? Black employees are underrepresented in administrative and faculty positions, the positions with the highest pay. Most Black higher education employees are in staff positions, the positions with the lowest pay and lowest pay equity. When Black employees hold administrative positions, they are paid less relative... View Article
Like millions of Americans, my heart aches and I have no words to adequately express my anger, my sadness or my frustration regarding the recent events that have shaken our country. Members of our national board recently shared the following questions. How do we help our campuses become stronger as a result of this turmoil?... View Article
Higher ed faculty require years of education but often work beyond typical retirement ages; jobs are stable, and turnover is very low; the pipeline for new hires is fundamentally limited; and competition for positions occurs nationally. As the workforce ages, this may create unique challenges for the management of a faculty workforce. To help higher... View Article
As the year quickly winds down, we hope you’ll take some time to read about some of the great work your HR colleagues are doing at colleges and universities around the country. CUPA-HR’s Higher Ed HR Magazine and Higher Ed Workplace blog highlight new and innovative ways to do HR (from institutions and organizations who have been there,... View Article
This is part two of a two-part blog post contributed by Abby King, accommodation specialist at University of Kansas, and William Budding, HR coordinator at Harvard University’s School of Dental Medicine, both of whom are alumni of CUPA-HR’s Wildfire program for early-career higher ed HR professionals. Read part one — Workplace Inclusivity for People With... View Article
This blog post was contributed by Suzanne Keys and Lynn Clements of Berkshire Associates. Just in time for back-to-school, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has released three new affirmative action plan (AAP)-related initiatives related to higher education institutions. Multi-Building Establishments The first initiative is a set of FAQs for organizations that have... View Article
Another year down, and a new one underway! As you jump back into your work in this new year, we hope you’ll take some time to read about some of the great work your HR colleagues are doing at colleges and universities around the country. CUPA-HR’s The Higher Education Workplace magazine and Higher Ed Workplace blog highlight new and innovative... View Article
The “Me Too” movement has prompted a heightened awareness of and national conversation around unequal treatment and inappropriate or criminal sexual conduct in the workplace, and many colleges and universities have strengthened their resolve to eliminate these unacceptable behaviors on their campuses. To create an environment where harassment, incivility, inequality and bias are neither welcome... View Article
While the U.S. minority population continues to grow, the number of racial/ethnic minorities holding top jobs in colleges and universities is not keeping pace. According to new research from CUPA-HR, while there has been a steady increase in the representation of minorities in higher education administrative positions over the last 15 years, the increase in... View Article
While women have made gains over the past 15 years with regard to their representation in higher education administrative jobs, little progress has been made in narrowing the gender gap in top executive positions in the nation’s colleges and universities. In fact, according to new research from CUPA-HR, women occupy only 30 percent of the senior-most... View Article