The University's Department of Institutional Research reported that the percentage of minority faculty increased from 11 percent in the 2000-01 school year to 23 percent in the 2001-02 school year.
Joseph Jordan, director of the Sonja H. Stone Black Cultural Center, is a fairly new member of the University's faculty. Jordan took office in August 2001.
Jordan said he thinks University officials showed that they "truly value minority presence on campus" during the hiring process.
Chuck Stone, a journalism professor who has been at the University for almost 11 years, said he believes the University's leaders contribute greatly to the environment at UNC, which is conducive to the success of minority faculty.
Stone said he believes that former Chancellors Paul Hardin and Michael Hooker helped to create a foundation that supported and was committed to the retention of minority faculty.
Jordan said many incoming minority faculty members are pleased with the University's numerous minority leaders and by organizations such as the Black Faculty Caucus.
Both Stone and Jordan said they recognized that there are numerous benefits of having such a diverse group of faculty.
Stone said a diverse group makes things more "interesting," and Jordan said he is pleased with the University's diverse faculty because it provides "an environment representative of the society students will encounter" after they depart UNC.
But Provost Robert Shelton said it is both good and bad to see these numbers.
