Most investigations of faculty diversity have focused on higher education institutions in general. Despite the debates and many years of affirmative action policies and procedures. the increase in female. racial and ethnic minority faculty remains minimal. The United States student population is becoming more diverse, whereas. faculty diversification remains predominantly White and male. Little has been researched about increasing faculty diversity in higher education. specifically in business departments. This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore how search committee members address faculty diversification hiring in higher education business departments. This study took place at various universities in the southwest region of the United States. A total of 20 open-ended. in-depth interviews were conducted with search committee members who had influence in the faculty-hiring decisions within the business departments of higher education institutions. The data obtained in this study indicated that the make-up of the search committee was vital to the successful hiring of female, racial, and ethnic minorities in faculty positions. It showed that when members of a search committee were not diverse. the selection process would be the same from the previous hiring. The results of the interviews conducted with the search committee participants revealed five themes related to how search committee members address faculty diversification hiring in higher education business departments: (a) search committee composition, (b) developing an effective interview process, (c) supporting university goals, (d) marketing and advertising, and (e) diversity workshops. The analysis and research of the findings of this study lead the researcher to make the following recommendations for future research. The conclusions drawn from data collected in one area of the United States may not be indicative of all areas. Additional studies in other areas could pro side valuable information based on geographic differences. For studies conducted in specific regions, questions should be influenced by the practices within that region. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.