Underrepresentation in the Academy and the Institutional Climate for Faculty Diversity

The purpose of this study was to explore the current racial climate for Black and Hispanic faculty at three predominantly White flagship universities with regard to the climate for faculty diversity and diversity discourse.The research paradigm was qualitative using evaluative case study method (Yin, 2009) to study faculty at the University of Georgia, University of Maryland at College Park, and the University of Texas at Austin. The study was situated in Hurtado and colleagues’ campus climate framework (Hurtado, Milem, & Clayton-Pederson, 1998; Hurtado, Milem, Clayton-Peterson, & Allen, 1999; Milem, Dey, & White, 2004; Milem, Chang, & Antonio, 2005) and Chang’s (2002) notion of transformative discourse.The primary data sources were face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions with faculty, provosts, chief diversity officers, and senior academic administrators to understand campus climate and each campuses effort and commitment to diversity.The data were analyzed using content analysis.The findings focus on the overall campus climate, recruitment, retention, and institutional support for research.