As we did our research, we learned about the commitment to

academic excellence the school strives for, the mission of Providence

College and also the pursuit in truth this College is known for; however

the most significant information we found were the hiring practices.

These findings were both expected and non-expected as we were

somewhat already aware of the hiring process, but we did not

understand the problem behind hiring faculty. In other words, PC has a

strict step-to-step hiring process in which applicants need to not only

follow but also achieve. These steps consists of writing a response to

the mission statement, visiting the campus, teaching a class, meeting

with President Shanley and so on. Already aware of this, what we did

find interesting and surprising was the lack of diversity that is involved

through the hiring process. We learned through research that there is a

lack of females and diverse backgrounds in most departments that PC

has. This is due to the lack of commitment behind finding and hiring

diverse individuals and also the religious belief system this college

follows. Because of those aspects, Providence College is not receiving

the proper education it deserves, nor do the students experience

diverse beliefs and viewpoints academically. These findings are

profound and crucial because it affects the student body, as well as the

Providence College atmosphere, but it also significant in considering

diversity in higher education. Upon this new research, we also were

able to make references to other research. We found that the

differences in protocol for hiring committees and lack of unification

results in hiring discrepancies. There are various effects and responses

within the campus climate that stem from a staff and administration

that lack diversity.

In addition, this research illuminated the comparison between

other situations. In other words the lack of diversity that departments

have affects everyone, specifically women. Not having a large

population of female teachers does not allow female students to

connect with their female teachers or look upon them as role models

and or mentors. Not only is the small population of women in

departments evident, but also the non existent diversity (in race and

religion). Not having diversity for teachers affects the PC atmosphere

because it prohibits students from learning about a variety of

viewpoints and beliefs academically. Not having this opportunity sets

limitations and does not provide a strong education for the student

body.

With this being said, we found significant information about the

hiring faculty that was both positive and negative. Even though

Providence College welcomes different races and gender; it is a matter

of implementing those beliefs and helping this college morph into a

diverse atmosphere. Although our findings were significant and

enlightening we did encounter some problems along the way. These

obstacles consist of not having the opportunity to get perspectives on

more departments. This would allow us to have a broader range of

information and data. Also learning about other colleges and

universities would have been helpful in comparing the data to

Providence College.