Faculty diversity at Penn State has not increased significantly in the past 20 years, according to a report from the Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs.

The report said this stagnancy is due to similar rates of recruitment and departure for women and minority faculty.

The report, presented at the University Faculty Senate meeting Tuesday, offered recommendations on methods of recruiting and retaining women and minority faculty members. The report also addressed advancement.

Vasundara Varadan, Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs chair, said there was a distinct lack of representation of women and minority members in the senior ranks of faculty.

One faculty member also expressed concern at the meeting that the faculty composition was not a reflection of the student body, leaving some students without any role model or influence with which to identify.

Varadan said she hoped that the information within the report would be spread throughout the departments.

"That is where the action is, within the departments," she said.

The university has already taken some steps to address the retention issue, Varadan said. Interviews are conducted with departing women and minority faculty to determine why they are leaving and to detect if any patterns exist.

Nichols said the problem could not be solved simply through implementing policies.

"It's not so much legislation as it is changing the culture," he said.

John Nichols, Faculty Senate chair, said the report was part of an ongoing process to evaluate faculty diversity.

"It's one stop in a long-term commitment," Nichols said. "This is just the next step."

The process began last year with a report on faculty diversity by the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity. The report was a cooperative effort between CORED and the Commission for Women and the Commission for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Equity.

The report recommended the creation of a welcoming climate for a diverse faculty through mentoring for women and minority faculty, as well as training for the entire faculty on diversity issues.

The report emphasized the need for dedication, both on the administrative and departmental levels, to the goal of a diverse faculty.

Varadan said she hoped that the emphasis on diversity would increase. Diversity should not come only after research, funding and other issues have been addressed, she said.

"Diversity is not icing on the cake," she said. "It should be integral to everything we do."