Faculty of Color: Teaching in Predominantly White Colleges and Universities

This book provides a discussion forum for the experiences of faculty of color teaching in predominantly white institutions. The knowledge and insights gained from the narratives shared across a variety of colleges and universities provide faculty and administrators in higher education with helpful strategies for recruitment and retention. The experiences documented here extend beyond teaching in general to other areas such as administration, institutional climate, mentoring, recruitment, relationships with colleagues and students, and research. More importantly, the chapters offer a variety of recommendations so that predominantly white colleges and universities can continue to ensure that institutions change in substantive ways. A hallmark of this book is the diversity of knowledge, firsthand experiences, and insights provided by the faculty of color who contributed to it. The authors represent a variety of cultures, ethnicities, identities, and nationalities—African American, American Indian, Asian, Asian American, Chamorro, Jamaican, Latina/Latino, Mexican American, South African, Muslim—as well as disciplines—business, dentistry, education, engineering, ethnic studies, health education, political science, psychology, public policy, social justice, social work, sociology, and speech, language, and hearing science. This book also has the potential to impact the dialogue in academia on affirmative action and the institutional goal of achieving parity so that the faculty ranks in higher education mirror the minority talent represented in the nation. Faculty of Color makes recommendations for faculty development, instructional development, and organizational development practice, and raises issues for commentary and investigation.

About the Authors. Preface. Acknowledgments. 1 An Overview of the Literature ( Christine A. Stanley ). 2 Succeeding in the Face of Doubt ( Stephanie G. Adams ). 3 Do I Have to Be Black or Brown to Count? An Appeal for Broad Appreciation and Understanding of Diversity ( Karla Anhalt ). 4 Free to Be the Me You See: Discovering the Joy of Teaching ( K. Denise Bane ). 5 “Are You Here to Move the Piano?” A Latino Reflects on Twenty Years in the Academy ( James F. Bonilla ). 6 The Temple of My Unfamiliar ( Fred A. Bonner, II ). 7 Racism Will Not Go Away and Neither Will We: Two Scholars of Color Examine Multicultural Education Courses ( Bryan Brayboy, Maria C. Estrada ). 8 In Search of Community: The Challenges and Successes of an Isolated Engineer ( Karen Butler–Purry ). 9 Solitary Sojourn: An American Indian Faculty Member’s Journey in Academe ( Karen Sunday Cockrell ). 10 Putting the Color in Colorado: On Being Black and Teaching Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado–Boulder ( Adrian Gaskins ). 11 Living, Breathing, Teaching Sociology: Using the Micro to Illuminate the Macro ( Sarah N. Gatson ). 12 Can a Brotha’ Get a Break? Teaching on a Majority White Research University Campus ( Jeffrey J. Guidry ). 13 Just Because I Choose to Be Me ( Reem Haj–Ali ). 14 Anatomy of "Difference:: The Meaning of Diversity and the Diversity of Meaning ( Rashmi Jaipal ). 15 Color in the Interstice, or, What Color, This Faculty of Color? ( Leswin Laubscher ). 16 Reflections From a Minority Faculty in a Majority Institution ( Cheryl B. Leggon ). 17 Tenure on My Terms ( Antoinette Halsell Miranda ). 18 Teaching and Researching “The Politics of Race” in a Majority White Institution ( Byron D’Andra Orey ). 19 Negotiating Identity and Learning From a Native Pacific Perspective: Contradictions of Higher Learning in Cultural Diversity Classes ( Michael P. Perez ). 20 Learning to Play the Game ( Anthony D. Ross ). 21 I’m Just a Black Woman Troubling the Status Quo ( Shari Saunders ). 22 Challenging Racial Battle Fatigue on Historically White Campuses: A Critical Race Examination of Race–Related Stress ( William A. Smith, Tara J. Yosso, Daniel G. Solórzano ). 23 Walking Between Two Cultures: The Often Misunderstood Jamaican Woman ( Christine A. Stanley ). 24 Institutional Barriers and Myths to Recruitment and Retention of Faculty of Color: An Administrator’s Perspective ( Christine Yoshinaga–Itano ). 25 Summary and Key Recommendations for the Recruitment and Retention of Faculty of Color ( Christine A. Stanley ).

CHRISTINE A. STANLEY is associate dean of faculties and associate professor of higher education administration at Texas A&M University. She is past president (2000–2001) and former chair of diversity commission (1994–1998) of the professional and Organizational Development network in Higher Education (POD Network), the North American organization dedicated to faculty, instructional, and organizational development issues. A native of Jamaica, West Indies, she holds a B.S. in biology, cum laude (Prairie View A&M University), M.S. in zoology (Texas A&M University), and Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with emphasis on college teaching (Texas A&M University). A biologist, teacher, consultant, and faculty developer, she has taught courses on college teaching, professional development, and diversity and social justice in higher education. She is a consultant to many colleges and universities on faculty development and multicultural faculty and TA development initiatives in higher education. She has contributed numerous faculty development–based and peer reviewed articles to outlets such as Qualitative Inquiry, Change, Journal on Excellence in College teaching, Innovative Higher Education, Journal of Faculty Development , and To Improve the Academy; Resources for faculty, Instructional, and Organizational Development . She is coeditor (with M. Erin Porter) of Engaging Large Classes (Anker, 2002). Her professional experience includes serving as a proposal reviewer and moderator for the National Science Foundation Teacher Preparation Enhancement Program. She is the 2000–2001 recipient of the Texas A&M University College of Education Development Council’s Outstanding New Faculty Award and the 2004 recipient of the POD Network Robert Pierleoni Spirit Award for her contributions to the organization and the field of faculty development.