University of Washington Investigation Discovers Race Was Wrongly Considered in Faculty Hire

The University of Washington found race was “inappropriately considered” in a recent faculty hire, it admitted last month.

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“The review was completed in September and indicates that race was inappropriately considered and used in a way that is inconsistent with University policy in the hiring process for an assistant professor position in the department. Race was inappropriately considered in the hiring process even after some faculty received guidance from College of Arts & Sciences and University leadership that such considerations are inappropriate,” the statement stated.

Dianne Harris, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, requested a review of the department’s hiring practices after several concerns were reported.

The review was conducted by UW’s Civil Rights Investigation Office, which included examining e-mails and other university records. After the review was completed in September, the results indicated that race was inappropriately considered in the hiring of an assistant professor position in the department and violates university policy.

The race-based hiring of the assistant professor was completed even after the faculty received guidance from leadership that such a practice was inappropriate.

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