Diversity among
skills-focused law faculty and administration is critical, particularly given
recent emphasis on practical skills and cultural competency as a professional
skill. Skills faculty have a great impact on students as future practitioners,
and thus, they should better reflect the students they serve. Law school
administrators, as leaders of the institution, ought to reflect the diversity
they seek in their institutions. But teaching in skills-focused areas typically
brings additional challenges with respect to status, job security, and pay
equity that discourage faculty of color from entering those fields. Faculty of
color also face unique challenges breaking into positions of law school
leadership, and are underrepresented among those positions. In this discussion
of their career paths and experiences as skills-focused professors and
administrators, or both, the panelists will help deepen the attendees’
understanding of some of the issues that are unique to people of color in the
academy. Specifically, the panelists will address the challenges and
opportunities they have encountered, if any, on their career path; discuss
their perceptions of the importance of a diverse faculty and administration;
and share their ideas for increasing the representation of people of color in
these positions.