According to Laury (1988), a large survey of Black faculty members working at American colleges and institutions revealed that most Black faculty members view the country's colleges and universities as being less than maximal in their efforts to recruit, train, and promote minority faculty. Most of those surveyed were accepting of the norms of the profession of higher education and did not want anything different or special for career advancement.
However, they did feel that they were not treated fairly with respect to distribution of resources. Specifically, they did want more of what is available (i.e. research funds, goods, interpersonal support relationships, and fair judgment and/or assessment of their research).
Also, they felt that in terms of numbers, they were relatively few minorities in the colleges and universities where they worked. In other words, minority faculty want a greater degree of equality with respect to being represented on the faculty of higher education institutions in America.
What can be done to resolve the problem of low numbers of ethnic and racial minorities among the faculty of institutions of higher education? The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature related to correcting the problem of racial and ethnic minorities (particularly Blacks and Hispanics) being under-represented in the faculties of colleges and universities. To this end, the review examines literature related to corrective methods and strategies associated with recruiting, training, promoting, and retraining Black and Hispanic faculty. This literature is divided into two broad categories:
(1) Programs that have been implemented by existing colleges and universities; and
(2) Recommendations for programs developed by existing educational agencies and institutions.
Perhaps the best way to determine solutions for the problem of under-representation of minority faculty is to examine literature o...