DMU joins campaign to recruit more Black women professors

De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is at the forefront of a drive to recruit 100 Black women professors in higher education.

The ‘100 Black Women Professors Now’ campaign was officially launched yesterday by the Women’s Higher Education Network (WHEN).

DMU is one of six universities to have teamed up with WHEN so that more Black women can progress to the most senior roles in their academic careers.

There are currently just 35 Black women professors in universities in the UK – including one at DMU - compared to 12,860 white men with professorships.

The annual Higher Education Statistics Agency survey, published at the beginning of the year, highlighted the lack of representation by stating just just one per cent of professors in the UK are black and just two per cent of all academic staff are black women.

DMU has pledged to fund five places on a 12-month development programme to lead Black women into professorships.

Professor Katie Normington, Vice-Chancellor of De Montfort University, said: “DMU has one of the most diverse student bodies in the UK, but I am acutely aware that this is not reflected in our teaching staff - and that needs to change.

“Since joining the university earlier this year I made clear that promoting racial equality and gender equality is a central focus for the university. It is vital we tackle the many factors that prevent black women from progressing to the most senior roles.

 “So I am excited DMU is taking a lead and embarking on this important journey with our partners at the Women’s Higher Education Network and the university is incredibly proud to be a part of the 100 Black Women Professors Now programme.”

Alice Chilver, CEO and Founder of WHEN, said: “Did you know that there are only 35 Black women professors in UK higher education, compared to 12,860 white men professors? That’s a shocking disparity – and one that we can’t just sit back and wait to fix itself.

“That’s why we are launching our 100 Black Women Professors Now campaign, taking deliberate and collective action to propel equity of opportunity. We’ll do this by working together with institutions and Black women academics to make a real difference for both current and future generations.

“By addressing deep-rooted inequities experienced by Black academic women, we aim to accelerate the number of Black women professors. In doing this, we will create visible role models for Black girls still studying at school; support Black women academics in achieving their career ambitions; and improve the ability of institutional leaders to facilitate the difficult conversations they need to be having around race and white privilege.

“It is such a positive step for an institution to not only call out this issue and critically examine their own structures, but also to commit to some of the significant steps needed to accelerate equity. Working with DMU is an exciting opportunity for WHEN and we are delighted to be strengthening our partnership as we will work closely together towards the acceleration of Black women in academia, and gender equity as a whole.”

DMU became a partner of WHEN in 2020. The organisation is dedicated to equity of opportunity for women from all backgrounds, who work in any role in the higher education sector. 

WHEN aims to help women achieve their ambitions and works with universities to remove institutional and cultural barriers.

To learn more about WHEN and becoming a member, please visit its website.