A new study from the Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy found that there has been little growth in the number of college faculty members of color. The aforementioned study examined doctoral-status institutions between 2013 and 2017 and found that the number of Hispanic and Latino faculty members grew by less than 1% and the number of black faculty members grew by only one-tenth of a percent. The study reinforced the fact that there has been little change as far as ethno-racial diversity in higher education. One of the main problems with the lack of diversity among faculty is that students may not see themselves reflected in their professors, which can cause a number of issues and can impact student retention as well as enrollment rates. A lack of diversity among faculty as well as across the university could also lead to incidents like what happened at the University of Missouri in 2015. The events that occurred on the Columbia campus grabbed headlines, with students creating a list of demands, one of which being the need for more black faculty and staff on the campus. A group of tenure-track and tenured faculty of color at the University of Missouri at Columbia shared their experiences in a HuffPost op-ed, where they highlighted some of the main barriers they faced while being at a predominantly white institution. One of the problems that was highlighted in the op-ed, was the lack of inclusion that racial and ethnic minorities feel. Many institutions focus primarily on the numbers, while not putting enough attention on how those minorities feel. Tokenism is something often experienced by faculty of color; it is not enough to have underrepresented groups in your workplace. If there is nothing being anything done to make these groups feel included and valued, they are not likely to stay at the institution. Dr. Eli Joseph is a recent graduate and has served as a faculty member at several prominent universities in and around New York City. Joseph shared what needs to be done to create a sense of belonging for faculty members of color. “Provide certain coalitions for the underrepresented groups so that they may not feel alone, especially when it’s time for them to go up for tenure…having different organizations on campus, within different departments that caters towards the underrepresented groups…that can foster much more of an inclusive environment.”
Some may point to a pipeline problem as the reason there is not enough diverse faculty. There could be a lack of qualified racial and ethnic minorities who are applying to faculty roles, contributing to the lack of diversity. When addressing the pipeline issue, it’s necessary to consider the percentage of doctoral graduates of color. According to the National Science Foundation, the total number of doctorate recipients from U.S. colleges and universities in 2015 was 55,006. Of those recipients, 3,423 were Hispanic or Latino, 13,846 were Asian, 2,781 were black or African American, and 140 were American Indian or Alaska Natives. While it is true that there is a higher number of white Americans who received their doctorate degrees, compared to racial and ethnic minorities, there was still a significant amount of doctorate graduates of color. Dr. Marybeth Gasman shared her thoughts on the lack of diversity in higher education in an op-ed in The Hechinger Report. Gasman indicated that “the reason we don’t have more faculty of color among college faculty is that we don’t want them.” She suggested that universities and colleges that claim they don’t have enough diverse candidates applying for faculty positions should create their own diverse pipeline. Providing additional encouragement, mentorship relationships and support for students of color can help entice them to pursue faculty careers in the field.
Research demonstrates that some doctoral students of color experience racism and racial trauma, and it can be theorized that a likely consequence of these experiences may be the desire to pursue a career outside of higher education. One way that many applicants of color get weeded out, Gasman asserts, is by using the word ‘quality’ to dismiss qualified candidates from the talent pool. The pipeline myth may be used to conceal the real reasons behind the lack of diversity in higher education, research suggests. The criteria used to evaluate candidates during the application process may eliminate talented candidates of color and may reinforce inequality. Joseph indicates that “search committees tend to focus on those who attend a certain school or institution…you may not check all the boxes that the search committee is looking for based on certain criteria like the school you attended, the person that you studied under, your doctoral pedigree, or who was your advisor, so those play a role.” Re-evaluating the criteria used to assess candidates is absolutely necessary to address this pipeline issue and foster more diversity in the field.
