by Shabreena Danz Lopez
At COACHE, we understand that many things – from culture to leadership to funding – can have a direct and potent impact on the ability to recruit, retain, and support faculty.
“When COACHE talks about faculty experience, it’s vital to recognize the importance of studying different groups and types of institutions for their unique perspectives,” says Todd Benson, executive director and principal investigator at COACHE. That’s one of the reasons why COACHE recently undertook some targeted analysis on data from faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
HBCUs play a significant role in producing some of the nation's most talented graduates as well as in allowing Black students to enter a more inclusive higher education community1. HBCUs also have a higher percentage of Black faculty members who often serve as mentors for their students and less senior faculty members (56% compared to 5% Black or Hispanic faculty at primarily white institutions in according to the most often-cited research from 20012).
“HBCUs are a valuable part of our higher education system, so it’s important for the entire sector, as well as for HBCUs, that we learn more about the faculty experience specific to the challenges and opportunities of these institutions,” says Benson.
COACHE recently began its closer examination of the HBCU faculty experience, by focusing on the areas in which HBCU faculty would like to see improvements at their institutions. Qualitative data from HBCU faculty was captured in the COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey with the open-ended survey question “Tell us the one thing you, personally, feel your institution could do to improve your workplace?” These qualitative responses can be particularly revealing because the question itself is open to the interpretation of the reader. It offers faculty respondents free reign to talk about the issues that matter most to them. The results were coded into key themes by COACHE data analysts. The responses to this question over the course of the past two years revealed:
Top Areas for Improvement at HBCUs According to Faculty
- Compensation & Benefits (12.58%)
- Nature of work: General (11.24%)
- Leadership (8.09%)
- Culture (7.19%)
HBCU Faculty Say Compensation & Benefits is Top Area for Improvement
According to the COACHE analysis, issues related to Compensation & Benefits were the area most in need of improvement for HBCU faculty.
Specifically, some faculty highlighted that compensation is unreasonable for time spent teaching and commitment to research. Several respondents noted financial struggle and supplemental employment. HBCU faculty members also reported on the rising cost of living in surrounding areas with no foreseeable plans to increase pay at their institution.
Research shows that HBCUs are typically underfunded compared to non-HBCU3 institutions.
How Do Issues at HBCUs Compare to Issues at Non-HBCUs?
HBCU faculty members are more likely to report prioritizing change in compensation and benefits compared to their peers at non-HBCU institutions. In comparison, faculty from non-HBCU institutions prioritized workplace culture as their top area for change.
While the top concern of faculty members is different at HBCU institutions and non-HBCU institutions, the same areas of Compensation & Benefits, Nature of Work, Leadership, and Culture were the top four areas for both groups of faculty.
Benson notes that while some factors that influence faculty satisfaction may be outside of leaders’ direct control, by listening to specific change priorities of their faculty members, and particularly those revealed through data, higher education leaders can actively work toward creating workplaces that are more attractive, productive and equitable.
If your HBCU institution is interested in participating in an upcoming COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey, please contact Deborah Ruiz to learn about the special rates available. If you are interested in learning more about the HBCU data from COACHE surveys reach out to coache@gse.harvard.edu.
- Seymour S, Ray J. (2015, October 27) Grads of historically black colleges have well-being edge. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/186362/grads-historically-black-colleges-edge.aspx. Accessed July 26, 2023.
- National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2004/hbcu/Section4.asp. Accessed July 26, 2023.
- Gamboa, Glenn (2023, May 2) Ivy League schools received billions from top foundations. AP News. HBCUs got less than $50M https://apnews.com/article/hbcus-underfunded-ivy-league-college-3b2a1f3cb6ddf93baf66cea47b902657. Accessed July 26, 2023.