Published Monday, May 31, 2004
Diamond Named Assistant Professor
By The Appian Staff

A sociologist studying race, ethnicity, social class and school practices has been named an assistant professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE).

John B. Diamond, who delivered a guest lecture on campus earlier this year, appears to fill several of the academic gaps created when former Dimon Professor of Communities and Schools Pedro Noguera, who has similar research interests, left HGSE for New York University last fall.

Currently an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee in the department of educational policy and community studies, Diamond has also served as research director of the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN), a group of integrated suburban school districts that focuses on the achievement gap between racial groups in the United States.

“As we reorganize the School, we are seeking to identify faculty who can forge connections across different programs, fill important gaps in the curriculum, and add depth to current research strengths of the school,” HGSE Dean Ellen Condliffe Lagemann said in a press release. “John Diamond is a promising young scholar who clearly fits these criteria.”

In a new practice at Harvard, potential junior faculty members are being vetted by the University Provost’s office before being appointed, according to Director of Student Affairs Nancy Nienhuis. Officials hope this procedure will improve an internal candidate’s chances of eventually receiving tenure.

An e-mail circulating campus notes that, according to the 2003-2004 Harvard University Affirmative Action Plan, HGSE set a goal of hiring four scholars of color this year. Diamond is the first such appointment during a year in which two senior faculty members of color have resigned.