US universities should make their hiring and pay practices fairer for women from ethnic minorities who are faculty members, administrators or other academic professionals, says an association of human-resources executives working in higher education. In a report published in May (see go.nature.com/cupa_hr), the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) in Knoxville, Tennessee, finds that women from ethnic minorities in faculty and administrative positions earn less than 87% of their white male counterparts’ salaries, and that their numbers are disproportionately low in those positions. The association advises institutions to evaluate recruitment and pay practices for all job categories, and to compare their salary data with those of peer institutions to establish fair market rates for employees in minority groups. CUPA-HR also encourages universities to consider suggestions for improving promotion potential for female employees from ethnic minorities. The report is based on surveys carried out in 2016–17 of nearly 560,000 employees at more than 1,100 public and private institutions.