Recruitment & Retention: Analysis of African American Faculty in Higher Education

Spaces

Lucas Beal

Higher Education Student Affairs, Western Carolina University

HESA 670: Professionalism in Higher Education - Becoming a Practitioner-Scholar

Dr. April Perry

April 12, 2023

 Recruitment & Retention: Analysis of African American Faculty in Higher Education

Spaces

In the United States, higher education has a long history of resembling white European

views and perspectives. White faculty and staff have become dominant in universities and

colleges, especially at Predominately White Institutions (PWI). However, institutions have begun

to make amends for systematic oppression and discriminatory practices by striving to build more

diverse communities with faculty, staff, administration, and students (Patton & Haynes, 2018).

Closing the gap of African American staff in higher education is needed, as retention continues

to lower with students and staff (Perna, 2002). While recruiting might be unpredictable at the

university level, the most significant oversight is the retention of a diverse staff. In this paper, I

examine why retaining BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) faculty and staff is essential

by addressing support mechanisms for race and gender.

Supporting African American Faculty & Staff

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2017), approximately 20% of faculty

identify as Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, and

Multiracial. Institutions have become comfortable with the demographic of full-time hired staff

being Caucasian, and there are many issues. Kelly et al. (2017) state that institutions often

espouse valuing diversity and believing in the importance of recruiting and retaining racially

diverse faculty [and] diversity is not reflected equitably. This demonstrates that universities want

diversity but need to be more actively committed to the actions to keep the staff once they are

hired. In addition, diverse representation amongst staff affects students when they are looking for

an institution to attend or once they are on campus (Gregory & Mosely, 2004).
 African American faculty and staff are harder to retain due to lack of support and

overwhelming responsibility, according to Allen et al. 2000b. Kim and Hargrove (2013)

conducted a study documenting 219 Black males. The study results indicated that public support

of African American faculty and staff members had been an ongoing conversation of

participants' academic goals. The lack of support and community for African American faculty

and staff can cause psychological challenges and emotions resulting from social isolation or

feeling unwanted. Workplace isolation can increase within individuals who recognize

demographic gaps, generational gaps, or clique-like environments. For example, being the only

person in a department that shares your identity (racial, gender, or sexuality) can cause people to

feel invisible (Baker,2013). According to Asare 2022, a lack of support and community can

manifest as non-existent safe spaces, lack of affinity groups, unchecked microaggressions,

unequal distribution of work, and even failure to support advancement.

Race and Gender

The lack of retention of African American women in academia is more common in these

spaces than in men. Although education is a woman-dominated field," tenured Black women

made up two-point eight percent of the tenured faculty in the U.S. universities in the data set."

(Rucks-Ahidiana, 2021, p.4). Nevertheless, African American faculty are taxed similarly. For

centuries, Black women have worked in academia and learned to navigate a space not created for

them. In the Fall of 2020, four percent of Black women were full-time faculty; two percent were

full-time professors, three percent were associate professors, and five percent were instructors,

according to the National Center for Education Statistics (n.d). However, the number of women

in BIPOC communities working in higher education has changed yearly due to other
responsibilities and obligations (Gregory, 1999). Women wear many hats for their families,

community, and work. Therefore, they need help finding a work-life balance.

Griffin, Bennett, and Harris (2011) researched African American men and women who

worked at a PWI and taxation. They found that African American faculty felt they were being

"set up to fail" (p. 51). Data from a 2004 faculty survey of employees at 59 research institutions

showed that African American men outnumber African American women by approximately 53%

to 46% (National Center for Education Statistics, n.d.). The same survey showed that most

universities are willing to have these diverse professionals to increase diverse representation but

doing so at a mental and emotional cost to the Black faculty and staff recruited. The survey asked

faculty and staff how many hours they spent with students, in meetings, with the community, or

doing public service. They were also asked about committees, meetings, promotions, and the

extent to which they had to work harder to be perceived as a legitimate scholar. "Participants

referenced the 'black tax' throughout their narratives, placing a name on the added expectations

of black faculty" (Griffin et al., 2011, p. 48). Black tax is a form of cultural taxation. Cultural

taxation is best defined as "how responsibilities are placed on racial minorities because of their

minority status" (Cleveland et al., 201, p. 95). This pattern of invisible work burdens Black

faculty and staff at the institutions they work at.

Conclusion & Recommendations

In order to recruit and retain African American faculty and staff members, universities

have to support them in all forms of their life and re-evaluate campus culture. Considering the

importance of Black faculty and staff, Black tax and some individuals' familial roles are realities

institutions must face to better support these community members. Western Washington
University created a handbook to help recruit and retain faculty and staff of color. Some

recommendations include centralized funding for Faculty of Color research projects and cluster

hiring. Another recommendation is using mentoring programs to help the new professionals find

a sense of community and belonging. This is more successful when individuals learn about the

campus culture. In addition, there is a process to implement campus-wide diversity/cultural

competency training for new and existing faculty/staff. Western Washington University and

other universities have started implementing a few of these actions and have seen improvements.

Lastly, institutions must remember that all Black faculty and staff members carry additional

societal pressure and to lead with empathy and understanding. The more we lead with empathy

and understanding, the more our Black faculty and staff feel like they belong instead of just

being welcomed.
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