View article

Demographic predictions of an increasinglyfemaleand minority-based work force have reinvigorated interest within the academy in recruiting qualified women and minority members into its professional ranks. According to the Hudson Institute [27], as many as 80percent of the new entrants into the labor force over the next decade willbe women and minorities. Such statistics have particular relevance for higher education, where the pool of faculty applicants appears to be shrinking while the demand for new faculty grows [7]. Not since the 1960s have colleges and universities focused so much attention on establishing a faculty that reflects the" diversity" of our national population.

By and large, however, enthusiasm for increasing the number of women and minorities on our campuses has outstripped our understanding of the experience of these traditionally underrepresented groups in academe. Demographic data …