African American nurse faculty satisfaction and scholarly productivity at predominantly white and historically black colleges and universities

ABNF Journal, The, Jan-Feb, 2003 by Gloria J. McNeal

Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine faculty satisfaction and the relationships among selected elements of African American women nurse faculty productivity at two types of institutions: predominantly white (PWCUs) and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Organizational Culture Theory was used as the conceptual framework to provide the basis to explore the extent of productivity and levels of satisfaction among the study participants. Satisfaction was measured using a six-point Likert attitudinal scale. Scholarly Productivity was measured as the extent of published/submitted works (authorship), number and dollar amounts of grant submissions (grantsmanship) and elected/appointed positions held in professional organizations (leadership). Consistent with previous research studies of minority faculty in other disciplines, the current study found that the majority of African American women nurse faculty tended not to hold senior professorial rank, administrative positions, or tenure status. When comparisons were made between HBCU and PWCU faculty, however, a higher percentage of HBCU faculty reported holding deanships or program coordinator positions and, on average, had slightly larger dollar amounts for funded grant awards and held significantly more leadership positions in professional nursing organizations.

The aggregated data findings of this study did not support a strong relationship between selected elements of satisfaction with the academic institution's organizational culture and the scholarly productivity of African American women nurse faculty teaching at HBCUs and PWCUs. However, when the data were disaggregated by type school, moderately significant differences between HBCU and PWCU faculty were found, such that along several dimensions of the constructs of organizational culture the levels of dissatisfaction among PWCU faculty significantly skewed the overall data findings. In general, while PWCU faculty demonstrated higher levels of authorship, reported larger salaries, and held more tenured positions when compared with HBCU faculty, PWCU respondents tended to be significantly less satisfied with the leadership, environment, and socialization processes of their respective collegiate schools of nursing than were their HBCU counterparts. Among HBCU faculty the extent of productivity positively correlated with satisfaction for three of the six dimensions of organizational culture.

Keywords: Productivity, Satisfaction, African American, Minority, Women, Faculty, Organizational Culture

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The underrepresentation of minority faculty and their scholarly productivity has been a long-standing problem in the academy. Over the past two decades research initiatives have sought to investigate the derivation of the problem both outside of (Harris, 1995; Kulis, 1992; Palepu, Carr, Friedman, Ash, et al, 2000; Thomas & Asunka, 1995; Tobin, 1981; Trower & Chait, 2002; Wong, Bigby, Kleinpeter, Mitchell, et al. 2001) and within the discipline of nursing (Buerhaus & Auerbach, 1999; Davidhizar & Giger, 1999; Giger, Fishman, Johnson, Davidhizer,et al 1992; Giger, Johnson, Davidhizer, & Fishman, 1993; McNeal, 2000). While African American nurse faculty constitute nearly 6% of the nursing professoriate, fewer than 900 persons comprise this aggregate, (Louden, 1996) producing a yield of less than one faculty member per school of nursing, if the population were evenly distributed. Further, among the nations more than 1500 schools of nursing, less than 30 nursing programs are located on the campuses of historically black colleges and universities (Carnegie, 1995), where nearly half of all minority faculty are employed (Trower & Chait, 2002; USDOE, 1996).

While there has been an increase in the overall numbers of minority faculty teaching at the nation's institutions of higher education, the greatest percent increase has been noted among Asian American faculty, from 2.2% in 1975 to 4.5% in 1997. Unfortunately during that same time period the growth of African American faculty has remained relatively stagnant, 4.4% in 1975 to 5% in 1997. Further, the proportion of black faculty at predominantly white colleges and universities has remained at 2.3% since 1979. Despite the fact that minorities earned 16% of the master's degrees and 18.6% of the doctorates in 2000, as faculty they remain less likely to be tenured, and more likely to hold lower professorial rank and to teach at less prestigious institutions than their majority counterparts (Trower & Chair, 2002).

Gender issues also remain of significant concern across all academic disciplines, even after race is factored out of the equation. The apparent overall lack of success of the majority of academic women is evidenced by their lesser professorial ranking, lower salary earnings, non-tenured positions, and less prestigious faculty appointments when compared with the performance of male faculty members (Trower & Chait, 2002). The common concerns of both women and minorities include their limited opportunities to serve in leadership positions, excessive workload in the form of committee assignments, trivialized or discounted research initiatives, and lack of mentorship. Resultantly, these two cohorts tend to be less satisfied in the academic workplace and often leave academe during the seven-year probationary period prior to tenure review (Trower & Chait, 2002). It is not surprising then that by virtue of their dual classification as women and minorities, African American female nurse faculty are at an even greater risk for dissatisfaction and poor productivity.