Students' Perceptions of and Satisfaction with Faculty Diversity

Differences between Caucasian and non-Caucasian students were examined in terms of perceptions of diversity among faculty members, satisfaction with faculty diversity, perceptions that faculty diversity contributed to their educational experience, and perceptions of faculty respect for diversity among students. Surveys were distributed electronically to all majors from one department at a predominantly-Caucasian university; 109 were returned. Caucasians, compared to non-Caucasians, agreed more strongly that the faculty appeared to be from diverse backgrounds, that they were satisfied with the level of diversity among faculty, and that faculty respected diversity among students; Non-Caucasians agreed more strongly that faculty diversity contributed their educational experiences. Non-Caucasian students, compared to Caucasian students, may not have perceived a department dominated by Caucasian faculty as welcoming. Key words: student perceptions faculty, faculty diversity, climate for diversity ********** Many studies of campus climate for diversity have been conducted over the past two decades (Hurtado, Griffin, Arellano, & Curellar, 2008; Hurtado, Milem, Clayton-Pederson, & Alien, 1998) as institutions of higher education seek strategies that will improve academic success for all students. Most studies have restricted their investigations to racial/ethnic diversity (Hurtado et al., 2008) among students. The current study contributes to our understanding of climate by examining students' perceptions of and satisfaction with faculty diversity. More specifically, differences between Caucasian and non-Caucasian students were tested in terms of their perceptions of faculty diversity, their satisfaction with the level of diversity among the faculty, their perceptions that faculty diversity contributed to their educational experience, and perceptions that faculty respected diversity among students. How students perceive faculty is important, because the latter are critical to students' success. There is evidence that faculty are instrumental to students' persistence (Furr & Elling, 2002), retention (Quarterman, 2008), and social and academic integration into university life (Eimers & Pike, 1997). Interestingly, no research that focused on students' perceptions of and satisfaction with faculty diversity could be found. While institutions have primarily tracked their progress toward diversity goals by monitoring representation of minorities and women on campus, perceptions and attitudes do not always change with changes in numbers (Hurtado et al., 2008). Perceptions about an organization's personnel can provide important information about the degree to which the institution may feel welcoming and receptive (Hurtado et al., 2008). Some institutions have surveyed faculty to assess their perceptions about faculty diversity (Hart & Fellabaum, 2008; Hurtado et al., 2008), but students' perceptions about faculty diversity have been overlooked (Turner, 2002). For example, the national Higher Education Research Institute Faculty Surveys, which are sent to faculty members, ask about respondents' perceptions of institutions' recruitment of minorities and women. On the other hand, the National Survey of Student Engagement, which is completed by students', includes no questions about perceptions of or satisfaction with faculty diversity. Campus Climate for Diversity and Faculty Diversity The definition of campus climate and its measurement have varied across studies (Hart & Fellabaum, 2008; Helm, Sedlacek, & Prieto, 1998; Hutchinson, Raymond, & Black, 2008). Researchers (Hart & Fellabaum, 2008; Helm, et al., 1998; Hutchinson et al., 2008; Hurtado et al., 2008) agree, though, that climate is multidimensional, including perceptions, attitudes, and expectations. Peterson and Spencer (1990) defined climate as "the current common patterns of important dimensions of organizational life or its members' perceptions of and attitudes toward those dimensions" (p. …