From The Conversation · Rodney Coates · · 1m 20s
Faculty Diversity Lags Behind Student Demographics
U.S. universities still have fewer non-white faculty than students despite rising student diversity.
In brief
U.S. universities still have fewer non-white faculty than students despite rising student diversity. U.S. universities have 72% white faculty while 41% of students are people of color, with racial diversity in teaching lagging student demographics. Originally reported by The Conversation.
Faculty Demographics in 2022
72% of full-time faculty were white, 13% Asian, 7% Black, and 6% Hispanic professors.
Student Demographics in 2022
21.5% of students were Hispanic, 13.2% Black, and 7.8% Asian, with 41% of the U.S. population being people of color.
Historical Gap in Diversity
In 1976, 16% of students were people of color, but only 4% of faculty were Black, 2% Asian, and 1% Hispanic.
Promises Not Kept
88 research universities pledged diversity after Michael Brown's death in 2014, but 108 have rolled back commitments by 2026.
Anti-DEI Laws
Over 45 state bills restricted DEI efforts in 2023, with eight states enacting anti-DEI laws by late 2023.
Tokenism in Teaching
Faculty of color report being expected to represent race studies and feel undervalued by peers.
Scholarship Undermined
Research on marginalized populations is treated as less rigorous by some faculty of color.
Career Impact
Faculty of color report feeling isolated and mentoring students of color adds to workloads.
The one thing
U.S. universities have 72% white faculty while 41% of students are people of color, with racial diversity in teaching lagging student demographics.
