Women and people of colour are underrepresented in physics in many parts of the world, to the detriment of the field. How do academics' beliefs about the role of 'brilliance' in career success contribute to these representation gaps, and what can be done to address them?

The "Whites as victims" motif in conversations about race has been well documented in recent decades. When discussing affirmative action hiring policies, a common belief expressed by Whites is that people of color have been permitted to progress unfairly at the expense of harder working Whites. Whites using this discourse see themselves…

Discusses the issues surrounding affirmative action and racial preference policies. Includes interviews with civil rights lawyers, researchers, professors, and members of Congress. Suggests that even without specific quotas, businesses, advertisers, and institutions will strive for diversity in their workforces. (JOW)

Discusses the confusion surrounding the "annual hire and/or promotion rates" (AHP) used to measure compliance of affirmative action programs. Proposes a new formula for determing AHP that is more analytic than current methods. (IRT)

Explores changes affecting personnel testing and selection during past 20 years, noting that outcomes have often been antithesis of expressed or ostensible reason for change. Contends that some changes, designed to end discrimination, have institutionalized discriminatory practices as consequence of legitimizing methods of preferential treatment…

Discusses the impact of federal regulation (primarily that of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) in the area of personnel selection. (IRT)

Addresses affirmative action's success at creating a more equal workplace. Explores some potential psychological costs of this policy--costs that paradoxically may undermine its objectives--and their implications for achieving the goal of workplace equality. (GR)

According to government guidelines an employer must not maintain personnel practices that show adverse impact. Because selection cases are the most common, they have set the standards for how adverse impact is typically determined. The most common way to demonstrate adverse impact is to show that the proportion of minorities hired is less than…

Clarifies some of the conceptual, empirical, and normative issues that have been raised by criticisms of affirmative action. Indicates that the issues are more complex and the criticisms less decisive than some commentators seem to realize; the case against affirmative action has not been made in any rigorous sense. (Author/IRT)

Attributes Austin Community College's (Texas) success in minority recruitment, hiring and retention to a 10-step plan involving trustee support; an affirmative action plan; faculty support; recruitment, screening, interviewing, and selection strategies designed to enhance minority participation; orientation and support; staff development; and…

Testing practices have come under considerable scrutiny and criticism in recent years. Testing practices in the Federal government have certainly not been immune from this movement as the use of standardized written tests for selection purposes has been increasingly under attack. The most recent attacks have focused on implications or findings of…

Offers a model for hiring, developing, and promoting staff which endeavors to synthesize numerous concepts used by business and industry in their human resources development programs. Presents a 23-item checklist for the model and proposes that it be used by community colleges to reach affirmative action goals. (DMM)

The author questions whether advertising and search committees--the new faculty hiring methods brought about by affirmative action--are really more than just window dressing to avoid trouble with the federal government while hiring still occurs very much as in the past. (Author/SJL)

Discusses why affirmative action lacks full support in the United States. Two fairness issues are addressed in judging affirmative action programs: heightened salience of group identity and differences; and perceived scarcity of resources. Argues how program design and viewing work force diversity as a feasible means toward economic expansion can…

Challenges the view that, in a meritocratic society, affirmative action in higher education does personal and professional harm to those whom it ostensibly benefits. The author contends that, in most cases, those who are granted preferences are neither professionally diminished nor hurt by personal or societal feelings that they are unqualified or…