An Examination of Factors Associated with the Retention and Recruitment of African American Male Faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in North Carolina

In light of escalating enrollments of African American students on college campuses and continuing calls to increase the numbers of African American male faculty, a considerable amount of research has been conducted over the years to explore the relative status of African American male faculty (Bennett, 2001). It was difficult to find a college or university in the United States that was not seeking new and innovative methods of recruiting and retaining minority faculty. As higher education experiences a transformation in the demographics of its student body, institutions are finding it increasingly important to enhance their abilities to retain minority educators. These educators bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom and laboratory.;Ira Swartz, the provost of Temple University stated, "I think it encourages students to see faculty who have similar backgrounds and cultural beliefs, and these faculty members can serve as role models for these students" (Gater, 2005). Nonetheless, there is a growing amount of skepticism about the success of diversity initiatives, especially as they relate to African American male faculty. Although subsequent decades have seen increased representation of African American males among the general faculty pool, as well as among those employed in white institutions, the pool of African American male faculty has shown signs of stagnation and decline (Bennett, 2001). This presents us with a question of the causes for this decline.;This study examines African American male faculty and the contributing factors for their retention at Historically Black Colleges in North Carolina. As such, its larger purpose is to call attention to mechanisms by which institutions of higher education can increase the number of African American males going into faculty positions.;The focal point of this study was a series of interviews with four African American male faculty members who are employed at Historically Black Colleges within North Carolina. The result of those interviews suggest that while the participants have a somewhat positive attitude regarding their current employer, factors external to those institutions have been highly influential in shaping their careers.;For example, three of the participants alluded to mentoring as a factor that has helped them to navigate academia, thereby indicating the importance of an academic pipeline that should begin at the elementary school level to expose African American boys to colleges. The interviews also revealed that there is a need for senior faculty to engage junior faculty as soon as they enter the faculty ranks. This type of mentoring would encourage participation in academic committees and sometimes facilitate a smoother transition from Graduate school to the faculty ranks.;During the interviews some participants believed it was easier to retain the African American male faculty than recruit new faculty. With increased retention of faculty, this makes success in recruitment easier. It should be noted that a university program that focuses on retaining African American male faculty should subsequently have more success in attracting additional African American faculty.;In this study, perceptions are that the recruitment and retention of African American male faculty at HBCU's in North Carolina is essential to the education of all students at HBCUs. The intent of this study was to investigate the factors that contributed to the recruitment and retention of African America male faculty at HBCU's , contribute to the investigative literature and foster additional research.