CIRTL

Panel Discusses Faculty Life at Minority-Serving Institutions

Katherine Friedrich

Many graduate students may not be aware of the unique opportunities available to faculty at minority-serving institutions. These colleges and universities are dedicated to establishing strong community partnerships, offer access to MSI-specific research funding, and provide chances to mentor undergraduates in research. Working at MSIs can be an ideal opportunity for new faculty interested in collaborating with ethnic minority students, mentoring them, and understanding their lives.

The panel – Orlando Taylor of Howard University, Kelly Mack of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Clytrice Watson of Delaware State University, and Olac Fuentes of the University of Texas at El Paso – described their passion for working with students, as well as their commitment to understanding students' cultures.

Mack and Watson, who are biological science faculty, emphasized the importance of media in shaping their students' ideas and aspirations. Mack regularly watches TV shows that are popular with her students. The show "CSI" has made a splash with students, Watson said, because it shows the power of DNA evidence in proving the innocence of people who are wrongly accused. In the U.S., the prison population consists disproportionately of ethnic minorities. Watson's students are eager to enter forensic science, she said, because they are angry about this problem. But Watson tells her students, "You have to go into this because you enjoy science."

Working for a MSI can be both encouraging and challenging. "When we hire someone, we are committed to getting that person tenured and promoted at all costs," Mack said. This commitment, at her university, includes support from other faculty and summer salaries for all professors. "It's not dog-eat-dog," said Taylor. However, Mack said, a new science professor at her university needs to know how to set up a laboratory from scratch and should not count on having a large cadre of support staff.

Understanding students is important to Fuentes. He talked at length about how he has learned to support student success at the Hispanic-serving institution where he teaches computer science. He said his students are older than the average college student, often have full-time jobs, are usually first-generation college students, prefer to live near their families, and are reluctant to "stand out" or appear disrespectful by asking questions in class.

For new faculty who are interested in reaching across the generation gap and past other cultural differences, like working closely with undergraduates, and value community service, an MSI may be an excellent choice. The panelists said 20 percent of a given faculty member's tenure evaluation, on some campuses, may be based on his or her community service. Working at an MSI offers the opportunity for new faculty to learn about student culture, to partner with undergraduates in research, and to give back to the larger community that surrounds their university.

July 28, 2008