The University hired more women and faculty of color this year, according to an administrative report issued Friday.

Of the 56 new faculty members this year, 41 percent are women and 29 percent are faculty of color, which includes black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American professors.

Last year, women accounted for 35 percent of faculty hires and faculty of color for 28 percent.

“Diversity in the classroom broadens students’ perspectives and prepares them to work and interact with a variety of individuals and cultures,” said Annie Wooldridge, assistant vice president of Faculty Recruitment and Personal Relations in an e-mail.

Of the current faculty of color employed by the University, 119 are Asian, 50 are black, 21 are Hispanic and 1 is Native American.

The University is aiming its recruitment campaign at black and Hispanic faculty, Wooldrige said. She pointed to the already abundant number of Asian faculty and very small pool of Native Americans “holding terminal degrees,” as reasons for the focus on the two minority groups.

GW is also working on raising the retention rate of women and faculty of color, for reasons including resignation, retiring and not being re-appointed. Between Oct. 1, 2002 to Sept. 30, 2003, 17 women left the University. Nine faulty of color also left the University during the time period.

Currently, men comprise 66 percent of regular faculty and 72 percent of the tenure-track faculty. Women occupy 34 percent of regular faculty and 28 percent of the tenure-track faculty. Minorities constitute 18 percent of the regular faculty and 15 percent of the tenure-track positions.

“The University is obviously putting in a deliberate effort to institute diversity … and we’re moving rapidly ahead,” said Faculty Senate Chair Lilien Robinson.

Peggye Cohen, assistant vice president for Institutional Research, said the University is promoting a senior and junior faculty that is “more evenly distributed.”

Almost three-quarters of the senior faculty in non-medical schools is male.

Men hold the top dean posts in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Elliott School of International Affairs. Susan Phillips is dean of the School of Business.

The University is also trying to promote a more minority-friendly environment, according to the report.

Beyond efforts to alleviate possible social discomfort among faculty members, the University will put efforts into the existing Biennial Salary Equity Review, where a committee monitors faculty salaries to “identify and correct inequities.”

Thus far, only a handful of salaries have been cited for possible inequity, said Cohen, who is serving as part of the main academic staff on the committee.

Cohen said a faculty member’s salary depends on the field, highest degree, time in rank, tenure-track and contract status, among other factors.

Michael King, chair of the chemistry department and a faculty member of the committee, commended the goal of the review.

“At the end of the day by means of these reviews we assure faculty that there is no discriminatory factor that has influenced the salary of faculty,” King said. “The salary represents the true measure of contribution to the enterprise.”