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In the midst of teaching during the pandemic, a Point Park University professor was not too surprised when she received an email informing her she would no longer be employed after the spring semester.
Kendra Ross, a 45-year-old Black woman from Pittsburgh, used to work in the music industry and she knew what it was like to be in a cutthroat environment. So much so that she joked with former coworkers at Universal that she packed a box by the door just in case.
Still, Ross felt optimistic about teaching at Point Park when she first started.
She received her doctoral degree at the university in 2019 and was approached by other faculty to consider teaching in the business program. After co-teaching in 2019 as an adjunct faculty member, Ross was placed on tenure track.
Then, in February 2021, 17 faculty members, many of whom were from marginalized backgrounds, were among those told that their contracts wouldn’t be renewed for the fall. The union that represents the faculty argued that the layoff notices “appeared to target members of minority groups, including women of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Point Park University, like many colleges across the country, announced that the institution had to make difficult financial decisions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the university quickly faced backlash from faculty, students and alumni, who criticized Point Park for saying it promoted diversity, while undermining those efforts with layoffs.
“Point Park is an egregiously white space,” Ross said. “People are willing to create a multicultural office. They’re willing to put Brown faces in certain positions. But the fundamental change of the culture? Of how the university operates?
“There’s been little movement on that.”
Point Park University assistant professor Kendra Ross. (Photo by Ryan Loew/PublicSource)
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After layoff uproar at Point Park, faculty voice concerns about campus diversity and stability
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