Latina Faculty at a Catholic Hispanic-Serving Institution: Critical Counter-Stories About Racialized & Gendered Experiences and Servingness

Abstract

Studies have shown that Latina faculty have negative racialized and gendered experiences while teaching at their institutions. An emerging body of research shows that these experiences also occur at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Latina faculty at one small, private, four-year Catholic HSI (C-HSI) that was trying to make sense of its C-HSI identity. Using a counter-storytelling approach and one-on-one interviews, we came to understand the racialized and gendered experiences of four Latina faculty through the themes of preservation, the act of being pushed out of the institution, and elusive administrative support. With a national call to recruit more faculty of Color to work in HSIs we argue for a focused effort on supporting currently employed faculty of Color, and specifically Latina faculty, as an aspect of servingness. Arguably, HSIs should serve (and humanize) Latine faculty too, not just students. Implications are offered for research and practice.