Pathways to the Tenure Track: Reflections from Faculty of Color on their Recruitment to a Research University

The effective recruitment and retention of faculty of color continue to present major challenges to universities, in part, because the normal search process in higher education has been largely unsuccessful at diversifying faculty. Therefore, universities have implemented alternative strategies to recruit and retain scholars of color, including active interventions to recruit future faculty. Through personal narratives, two faculty of color at a large research-focused university critique the various processes that brought them to their current faculty positions. They conclude that “target” hires and postdoctoral transition programs, alongside increased mentoring and advocacy from senior faculty, may lead to increased retention of faculty of color.