Xavier University has hired 17 faculty members and one visiting professor as part of 33 positions it plans to fill for the 2002-2003 academic year.

        The hires represent the private Jesuit institution's push to diversify its faculty, make class sizes smaller for the school's 6,523 students and enhance quality.

        “By increasing diversity on campus, you enrich students' learning and academic experiences,” said Roger Fortin, acting academic vice president.

        “This is a great investment in our future.”

        Six of the hires are part of the 13 new, tenure-track positions the university is filling.

        Twenty others need to be filled because of retirement or other vacancies left by professors who have not been replaced in the past few years.

        The new hires include 10 women and eight men who represent a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Four are African-American, and there is one each from India, Germany, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and Syria.

        They represent disciplines ranging from chemistry and the classics to finance and psychology.

        Xavier offered two open positions for minority applicants from any discipline, and one of those posts is still open. About 60 people have applied.

        “We're not sure where they're going to fall,” Dr. Fortin said.

        The new hires came after the university announced in January that it would increase tuition 7.5 percent for the 2002-03 school year. That increase will raise full-time tuition from $8,270 to $8,890 per semester.

        “It definitely shows that they're dedicated,” said Michelle Hamilton, a sophomore English major, of the school's hires.

        “I love this school. That's one of the reasons I came here, because I value the small class sizes.”

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