Shaping the Faculty

Re “Forging Faculty Diversity” (On the Campus, April 22): I am mystified. Is promoting diversity a process that is expected to make Princeton a better university, or is it a goal in itself?

Dean of the Faculty Deborah Prentice states: “Those of us who are trying to promote diversity on this campus are doing so because we believe it will make us better [italics added].” At best, this is a hypothesis, and before jumping on the bandwagon of this belief system, shouldn’t it be tested? Does it produce better scholars and better scholarship? Exactly who stereotypes Princeton as a “privileged white male place”? Are there applicable metrics? Perhaps Princeton should focus on the quality of the faculty, with academic and teaching excellence as the real goal. Now is not the right time to reinstate an odious quota system, regardless of how well intentioned.