The Problems of Race and Sex in Public Agency Staffs

Abstract

In 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was amended to extend the requirements of equal opportunity and affirmative action to state and local government employment. Since then an increasing proportion of professional public administrative positions has been occupied by women and minorities.' Parallel to this, the number of women and minorities enrolled in public administration programs has risen dramatically. It is now time to consider some practical consequences of these changes in the profession. In the winter and spring of 1976-1977, in San Antonio, Texas, two workshops were held which focused on the emerging problems confronting managers in recruiting and leading an ethnically and sexually mixed staff. The workshops also focused on successful strategies of response. These workshops brought together the following groups: male and female; minority and non-minority professionals from across the nation; administrators; academics; graduates and interns of the Urban Studies Department at Trinity University, in San Antonio. The professional participants were selected for their experience in working with minorities and women on their staffs. The discussion was structured to draw out the perspectives of the managers, of entry level professionals, and of academics. The agenda covered the stages from pre-entry recruitment through mid-career. The format was an intensive, and occasionally intense and freewheeling, round table shirtsleeve discussion. The program, which was part of the ICMA/ NASPAA project, was cosponsored by the Texas Municipal League (TML) and Trinity University's Department of Urban Studies. The Urban Studies Department has a special interest in educating minorities and women for professional administration. Since the department was established in 1969, classes have been approximately evenly divided among Anglos, blacks, and MexicanAmericans, and about a third of each racial group have been women. The curriculum involves frequent sustained interaction between students and urban management practitioners. The latter serve as adjunct faculty and as supervisors of ninemonth, full-time internships which are required of all students without adequate prior experience. The department's core faculty of three includes a woman and a black chairman who has helped to create linkages between the department and the community-a city which is 60 percent minority and a city with the lowest per capita income for its size in the United States.