Affirmed Action: Essays on the Academic and Social Lives of White Faculty Members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

by Lenoar Foster, Janet A. Guyden, Andrea L. Miller, Toni P. Anderson, Fred Bales

Overview

The issue of diversity on college campuses automatically conjures up the familiar scenario of the individual scholar of ethnic descent struggling to overcome the obstacles of predominantly white universities. While this certainly remains a reality on campuses across the country, little has been written about the lives and careers of a different minority__white professors in the realm of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Here for the first time is a wide-ranging collection of essays by white faculty who explore the unique goals, successes, and challenges they encounter in choosing the unusual position of the 'other' in a higher education environment dedicated first and foremost to the empowerment of Black Americans. Edited by three African American scholars at HBCUs and a predominantly white university, this rich array of voices, all speaking on behalf of academic freedom and equality of opportunity, comes at a particularly contentious moment in higher education, as institutional diversity struggles against continued assaults on affirmative action.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780847694600
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/03/1999
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Lenoar Foster is associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Montana.
Janet A. Guyden is associate professor of educational leadership at Florida A&M University.
Andrea L. Miller, formerly vice-president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at LeMoyne-Owen College, is interim vice-president for academic and student affairs at Shelby State Community College.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Introduction: White Faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Historical Framework Part 3 Teaching and Learning at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Chapter 4 Making Connections: A White Professor at a Historically Black University Chapter 5 You Just Wouldn’t Understand Chapter 6 Communicating and Learning the Right Message Chapter 7 The ‘Science’ and ‘Art’ of Teaching and Learning at Xavier University of Louisiana Chapter 8 HBCUs as a Context for Instruction and Research with a Multicultural Perspective Chapter 9 Is Mathematics a Cultural Artifact? Part 10 Academic Careers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Chapter 11 Exploration and Identity: Thirty Years of Transformation at HBCUs Chapter 12 Breaking Through Stereotypes in Mississippi Chapter 13 The Academic Road Less Traveled: Challenges and Opportunities Chapter 14 Taking-up a Professional Line at FAMU Chapter 15 Life from Another Heart Part 16 Transformed and Transforming at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Chapter 17 Building Conversations of Respect: The Voice of White Faculty at Black Colleges Chapter 18 Educating as Moral Responsibility Chapter 19 Faculty Diversity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Context, Scope, and Meaning Chapter 20 Appendix: Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States Chapter 21 About the Editors Chapter 22 About the Contributors

Editorial Reviews

Honest and riveting testimonies on the adaptation of white faculty members as minorities in historically black universities and colleges. This collection shows that respect is an essential component in effective student-teacher relations as well as in effective race relations.

Charles V. Willie

At a time when the higher education landscape is undergoing rapid transformations and the role of the black college is being passionately debated, Foster, Guyden and Miller provide a poignant, praiseworthy, and pioneering intervention. Here is a work that lays to rest once and for all the dominant stereotype that historically black colleges are monolithic. Creatively working with the tradition of heuristic research, the editors frame a compelling cohort of original essays. Drawing on the actual voices of white faculty, Affirmed Action gives us an important handle on the common experiences of underrepresented and marginalized academics and their struggles to be included.

M. Christopher Brown

...reveals through graceful and lively prose an important yet often overlooked dimension of HBCUs—their significant contributions to the national dialogue on diversity in higher education. These essays are spirited, inspiring and passionate.

Dr. Michael T. Nettles