The University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business is looking to hire a new professor, however the position is only open to black people.
The online job posting for Assistant, Associate or Full Professor, which features multiple Indigenous land acknowledgements, notes that the opening is not limited to a specific subject.
Rather, applicants can apply to teach any of the Haskayne School’s “core areas of focus.” These include: accounting, business technology management, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, operations management, organizational behaviour and strategy.
The university then notes that the position “is only open to qualified Black scholars,” giving Black Pioneer, African and Caribbean as examples.
U of C says the successful black applicant’s qualifications and experience will determine whether they become an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or a Full Professor.
The university says the position will “establish an active research program that focuses on any discipline within business provided it is aligned with the University of Calgary’s, and the Haskayne School of Business’ strategic plans” and that “the successful candidate will have the opportunity to be part of a prolific and diverse research environment.”
In addition to providing a CV, cover letter, statement of research interests and statement of teaching philosophy/teaching dossier, applicants must state that they “self-identify as Black” and provide a “statement on equity, diversity and inclusion.”
Applicants must also “complete an attestation confirming their eligibility for (the) position in the application process.”
U of C says the position is part of its “Inclusive Excellence Cluster Hiring Initiative”, which it created to “advance and embed the institution’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, Indigenous engagement, and inclusive excellence.”
The university says 45 professors from “equity-deserving groups” will be recruited through the initiative over three years.
However, the U of C’s hiring practice received criticism online, including by renowned Canadian author and psychologist Jordan Peterson – who is a former professor at the University of Toronto.
In a tweet, Peterson wrote, “How black do the applicants have to be? Who tests them? Is it DNA or will casual visual observation suffice? Welcome to the new improved Canada: brought to you by your state-funded universities.”
Peterson also took aim at U of C’s the “Inclusive Excellence Cluster Hiring Initiative” in other tweets.
The University of Calgary is not the first Canadian post-secondary institution to include race in its hiring process. Back in 2018, Halifax’s Dalhousie University made headlines after it restricted a Dean of Students position to “racially visible” and Indigenous applicants.
Meanwhile, Laval University in Quebec City was denounced earlier this year for a job posting for a Canada Research Chair in its biology department that excluded white males – as previously reported by True North.
In response to True North’s request for comment, a University of Calgary spokesperson sent a press release and a webpage link on the “Inclusive Excellence Cluster Hiring Initiative.”
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