Differences in Black Faculty Rank in 4-Year Texas Public Universities: A Multi-Year Analysis

Abstract

In this investigation, the degree to which the number and percentage of Texas 4-year public university Black faculty members changed as a function of faculty rank from the 2005 academic year through the 2011 academic years was examined.  Utilizing archival data from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (2013a), a statistically significant difference was yielded between the percentage of Black Assistant Professors between the 2005 and 2011 academic year.  This increase was trivial with a Cohen’s d of 0.15.  Of interest, however, for Black faculty at the higher ranks of the professoriate (i.e., Associate Professor and Full Professors), statistically significant differences were not revealed between the 2005 and 2011 academic years.  Challenges experienced by Black faculty members as well as implications for increasing equal employment and advancement opportunities for Black faculty in the academy are also discussed in this study.