Abstract
Purpose. This study addressed issues of chief diversity officers who often face diversity challenges when attracting, recruiting, and retaining, faculty of color in community colleges in California. Perceptions and meaning-making of chief diversity officers were explored as they encountered racism and shaped the discourse on race embedded in the cultural competency framework in the faculty recruitment process.
Theoretical Framework. The theoretical framework for this study was based on critical race theory and transformational leadership. Critical race theory is used to analyze the concept of racism and discrimination in society based on racial context. The theory helped understand factors influencing the recruitment and retention of faculty members of color and their experiences of diversity. Transformational leadership is based on the leader’s promise of creating a common culture that unites all stakeholders towards a given goal. This theory was important for the study as it focuses on leaders’ perceptions and practices of transformational leadership, making them more responsible for initiating change, such as implementing recruitment policies that seek to increase the representation of black faculty members in learning institutions.
Methodology. Six chief diversity officers were interviewed for this research. Interview transcripts were reviewed and analyzed thematically using NVivo.
Findings and Conclusion. This study found four main themes: experiences of racism, inadequate diversity training, the need for faculty to reflect on students, and change by widening recruitment efforts. The thematic analysis also showed the importance of mentorship and the value of top-down change. Participants’ beliefs were informed by their own experiences of racism and a desire for better representation of the students. Overall, participants were dissatisfied with their schools’ efforts to expand diversity among the faculty.
Recommendations. The study findings indicated the need for diversity training and mentorship programs to encourage faculty diversity for social justice in community colleges. In this regard, the community college administrations are advised to adopt these findings to establish policies and strategies for improving faculty diversity by recruiting faculty of color in schools. In addition, researchers are recommended to use these results for future research references to study the importance of encouraging faculty diversity to enhance social justice diversity in community colleges in California and other jurisdictions.