Agencies misuse hiring program designed to benefit minorities

Federal agencies continue to misuse a hiring program designed to benefit minorities, according to the Merit Systems Protection Board. Of the more than 2,300 employees hired through the government's Outstanding Scholar program last year, about 71 percent were white, while only 29 percent were minorities, according to MSPB. In a January 2000 report, MSPB recommended eliminating the Outstanding Scholar program, concluding that it had outlived its purpose and was no longer used by agencies to primarily hire minorities. MSPB last month reiterated its opposition to the program, saying it still primarily benefits white women despite its original purpose to help the government hire more minorities for certain jobs. MSPB based its recommendation on the Office of Personnel Management's most recent report on civilian personnel data for the year 2000. "We haven't found any [further] data to suggest that our position should be changed," said Karen Gard, a senior research analyst at MSPB. The Outstanding Scholar program allows agencies to bypass competitive hiring processes to hire college graduates who have a 3.5 or higher grade point average for entry-level professional and administrative jobs. The program, created in 1981 as part of the Luevano consent decree to improve diversity in government, is not restricted to minority applicants, but its purpose is to help agencies hire more minorities in certain jobs. Slightly more than 21 percent of last year's Outstanding Scholars were African-American or Hispanic, while about 8 percent identified themselves as Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American or "other," according to the statistics. OPM routinely prepares a report with agency statistics on how many employees are hired through programs designed to improve diversity in government, including the Outstanding Scholar program. According to the most recent report, more African-Americans and Hispanics were hired competitively in 2000 for entry-level jobs subject to the 1981 Luevano decree than through the Outstanding Scholar program. Of the more than 4,000 employees hired competitively for such positions last year, 41 percent were minorities, while 59 percent were white. Since minorities are being hired competitively more than ever, it makes sense to discontinue a noncompetitive program that is no longer benefiting them, Gard said. "Competitive hiring is a better way to hire everyone." When MSPB's report came out last year, OPM disagreed with the recommendation calling for the elimination of the Outstanding Scholar program and defended the government's use of the hiring authority. In a July 1998 memo, OPM urged agencies to limit use of the program to its original purpose. But they have continued to misuse it. "It's a popular hiring program because it's fairly quick, which makes it attractive," she said. Confusion over how to implement the program may also play a role in its misuse, according to Gard. "Many of those hiring now were not around when the decree came out, and may not understand its true purpose." Although most employees hired under the Outstanding Scholar program are white, agencies have hired more minorities under the program in the last five years. In 1996, 83 percent of Outstanding Scholar hires were white, 11 percent were African-American and 6 percent were Hispanic. Minority hires under the program increased slightly by the first six months of 1999, when 80 percent of Outstanding Scholar hires were white, 13 percent were African-American and 7 percent were Hispanic. OPM is currently looking at all hiring authorities used by agencies and deciding which are most effective in helping agencies recruit the best and brightest, according to a senior agency official. OPM has not looked specifically at the Outstanding Scholar statistics, said the official, who acknowledged that there are some "great things and not so great things" about the program. But discontinuing the program altogether could be a little hasty, the official said. "We can't kill it for all the wrong reasons, and then not have anything to replace it."

Number of new hires into entry-level jobs subject to the Luevano consent decree (Calendar year 2000)