Cultural Competence in Hiring Faculty: Cluster Hiring

The article discusses the recruitment of multiple scholars by universities as part of cluster hires with an interdisciplinary emphasis. Topics include the experience of the University of California (UC) at Riverside with cluster hiring, faculty opinions on a purported lack of transparency in the UC Riverside plan, and a similar plan at Florida State University (FSU). The role of academic disciplines is noted in relation to the book "In Defense of Disciplines," by Jerry A. Jacobs.

The article reports on schools in the U.S. including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, California State University-Fresno, and North Carolina State University that have adopted cluster hiring to strengthen faculty and outcomes. Topics include the effectivity of cluster hiring for increasing diversity and strengthening institutional climate, and the encouragement provided by the practice to faculty to collaborate across multiple disciplines to develop academic programs.