ABSTRACT

While giving a talk about Minority Serving Institutions at the New York Times Higher Education Forum in 2016, I was asked a question pertaining to the lack of faculty of color at most majority institutions, especially more highly selective institutions. My response was frank: “The reason we don’t have more faculty of color among college faculty is that we do not want them. We simply don’t want them.” Those in the audience were surprised by my candor and gave me a standing ovation for the honesty. Of note, I didn’t say anything that many people of color had not said before me in other settings. I merely called out behavior that everyone knows exists and has existed since colleges and universities began.