Abstract
This article examines structural and cultural obstacles that speech communication departments face when recruiting, hiring, and retaining minority and women faculty within U S higher education. Drawing on case based observations from multiple institutions, this article traces how pipeline shortages, geographic isolation, competitive salary markets, and implicit evaluative bias intersect with affirmative action mandates to shape faculty diversity outcomes. Discussion highlights the tension between legal compliance and attitudinal change, explores how tenure criteria emphasizing quantity over quality of research can disadvantage underrepresented scholars, and outlines strategies such as early mentoring, targeted doctoral recruitment, inclusive search processes, community integration support, and revised performance metrics. By synthesizing pragmatic recommendations for administrators, this article contributes to scholarship on faculty diversity, affirmative action, organizational change, and communication administration.
Recommended Citation
Borisoff, Deborah
(1990)
"The Reality of Recruiting Minority and Women Faculty in Speech Communication: Some Considerations,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 71, Article 10.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol71/iss1/10
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