Attributes influencing the adjustment of white faculty at selected historically black colleges and universities in Texas

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the attributes that possibly influence the adjustment of white faculty at selected Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Texas. The results of this study may contribute to a research area that has not been thoroughly examined. The main objective of the study was to examine white faculty adjustment to their employment at an HBCU with respect to their interactions with the black student body, black faculty peers, black administrators, family and friends, commitment to HBCU missions, academic rank, tenure, age, and gender. The study was based on the perceptions and viewpoints of the white faculty members at four (4) HBCUs in Texas; three (3) small private liberal arts colleges and one (1) larger public university. A review of the literature indicated that little research has been conducted on the experiences of white faculty at HBCU, although white faculty members have been an integral part of the inception and evolution of these institutions. Interest in diversity within American higher education has grown in the past two decades and HBCUs have always been on the cutting edge of the practice of diversity. However, these institutions have been left out of the general discourse concerning diversity in American higher education. White faculty members can attest to the diversity, as well as to the pressures within the ivory walls of HBCUs. The findings of this study indicated that no category of white faculty attained an adjustment score that reflected a positive level of adjustment to the HBCU environment. The perceived attitudes of white faculty members’ parents proved to be more influential among the individual attributes than any other category. This inferred that parent attitudes more than any other attribute affected white faculty at HBCUs. The results from this current study may provide the foundation for new research with respect to white faculty at HBCUs. Suggestions for revisions were offered, including suggestions for further research with respect to minority-classified groups at various institutions of higher education. The results may possibly add to the discourse on multiculturalism and diversity in American higher education.