Throughout, Cultivating Inquiry-Driven Learners challenges stakeholders from across higher learning-faculty, students, staff, administrators, and policymakers-to reflect on the purpose of college, embrace innovation, and ensure that students are educated to thrive in and contribute to our constantly changing world.
Outlining strategies for identifying and dismantling barriers to participation, Learning with Others will pique interest among faculty, students, and administrators in higher education and a wide range of external stakeholders-from families and communities to policymakers and funders.
This book offers a candid examination of systemic racism in faculty hiring at colleges and universities, highlighting the stark contrast between increasing student diversity and the lack of similar progress among faculty. In 2017, only 3 percent of full-time, tenure-track and tenured faculty were Black or Hispanic, with even lower representation for Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native individuals. Marybeth Gasman explores the reasons behind these dismal statistics by analyzing national data and conducting interviews with university leaders. She identifies institutional barriers that hinder faculty diversification, despite a public commitment to inclusive excellence and a growing number of doctoral students of color. Key impediments include the perceived trade-off between quality and diversity, the influence of pedigree, rigid academic pipelines, ineffective administrative leadership, and a lack of accountability in recruitment processes. Gasman argues that university leaders must confront these institutional failures and acknowledge the pervasive systemic racism and biases that limit opportunities for people of color in academia. Emphasizing the importance of diverse perspectives in knowledge creation and teaching, the book calls for actionable steps to improve faculty diversity and foster a more inclusive academic environment.
"This is a work that looks deeply at the true power of HBCUs"--