Faculty Socialization

Abstract

This article examines the socialization experience of African American faculty at urban Black colleges. Specifically, this qualitative study explored influences and barriers in the socialization experience of African American tenure-track and tenured faculty in the social sciences and humanities at two urban Black colleges. Clear institutional values and expectations, which were learned formally and informally, were an influential component of the socialization process. Senior faculty, written publications, and department chairs informed new faculty of the institutional values and expectations for promotion and tenure. However, a perceived barrier in the socialization process was that senior faculty were not informing new faculty about the ropes of the institution. New faculty indicated they had to learn the ropes of the institution through trial and error. Nonetheless, this perceived barrier did not significantly detract from the overall positive socialization experience of faculty at the urban Black colleges in this study.