Three layers of underrepresentation: Academic pipeline issues for African Americans

Abstract

The underrepresentation of African American doctoral students, African American faculty, and African American college and university presidents in the United States are major issues in American higher education. The significance of these topics stems from the fact that the rate of African Americans who are doctoral students, faculty members, and presidents within the academy has remained relatively unchanged in the United States. Without Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in existence, there would be even fewer African Americans occupying these important seats. HBCUs play a critical role in the production of African Americans who earn doctoral degrees and eventually become faculty members (Perna, 2001). HBCUs are largely responsible for the employment of African American faculty members, as they employ over half (58.2%) of the African American faculty in the United States (Smith, Tovar, & García, 2012). African Americans also comprise the majority (95%) of the HBCU presidency (American Council on Education, 2012). Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) can learn much from HBCUs about enhancing their environments to ensure the success of African American students, faculty, and presidents.