Cornell's Zellman Warhaft to help provost diversify academic hiring
The Cornell Daily Sun
October 31, 2010
Prof. Zellman Warhaft, mechanical and aerospace engineering, was appointed provost fellow last Thursday to assist the administration’s diversity and inclusion efforts for new academic hires. This comes at a time when 47 percent of Cornell professors over the age of 55, which prompted the University to boost hiring efforts to replace retiring faculty in the next five to 10 years.
According to the University, a provost fellow is appointed when the Provost needs specific assistance on a particular project for a limited time. Prof. Warhaft was appointed for a one-year term, and will work with deans and faculty from each college, Provost Kent Fuchs and Vice President for Human Resources Mary Opperman to carve a path for his newly established position and move the University’s diversity efforts forward.
The Sun sat down with Warhaft Monday to discuss his new position as provost fellow and his plans and goals for his tenure.
THE SUN: Could you describe your main responsibilities as provost fellow?
Prof. Zellman Warhaft: This is a new position and I will be working with Provost [Fuchs] to identify the diversity issues at the University as a whole. My role, initially, will be to look across the University to see what has to be done in terms of encouraging University diversity. I want to do a comparative [assessment] at the different units ... from there, gather information and then work out what is the best way to move ahead in terms of diversity in its broadest sense — not only gender and ethnic diversity, but also intellectual diversity.
