Racial diversity among college faculty lags behind other professional fields, report finds
Black professionals in industries like law, science and engineering make up roughly 9.1% of the workforce, compared to 7.1% of college faculty, according to a federal report.
Despite gains in faculty diversity at American universities over the last two decades, Black and Hispanic professors remain underrepresented compared to their students and to professionals with advanced degrees in other fields, according to a federal report released Tuesday.
Black professional workers in industries such as law, science and engineering make up roughly 9.1% of the workforce, compared to 7.1% of college faculty, according to the report by the Government Accountability Office. Hispanic people represent 8.3% of professional workers, compared to 6.3% of faculty.
Faculty diversity can improve the sense of belonging and retention rates for students of color, said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va, who requested the GAO study.
“The good news is that faculty diversity has improved over the last twenty years. The bad news is that faculty diversity is still not representative of the students they teach,” he said.
Students of color often face systemic barriers in academia, said Jinann Bitar, director of higher education research and data analytics at the Education Trust, a nonprofit advocacy group. Many doctoral programs require students to work for a small stipend, often in areas with a high cost of living, and that can make a different career more appealing for students from low-income families.
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