Inequality in Higher Education: Diversity or Transformation?

Despite the rhetoric of diversity in higher education, trends toward greater representation of historically underrepresented minority (URM) faculty have not significantly improved post-Civil Rights. The percentages of historically underrepresented African American, Latino, and Native American faculty in all higher education institutions are well below parity with their percentage in the total U.S. population, but especially in research-extensive universities. From 1988 to 2010, the presence of African American faculty increased from 3.2% to 5.0% and from 2.4% to 3.6% for Hispanic faculty, respectively. However the percentage of Black, Hispanic, and Native American/American Indian faculty earning tenure and promotion to full professor has remained unchanged. Such significant underrepresentation provides a compelling rationale to launch a comprehensive investigation to contribute to the knowledge base on institutional culture and social climate and its effect on an unchanging trend of low URM representation in academic institutions. During 2010–2012, a mixed methods study was conducted to examine the associations among academic occupational stress, organizational factors, coping strategies, and physical and mental well-being. Conducting a mixed methods study allowed for a more coherent narrative