Underrepresentation of Hispanic Faculty at Hispanic Serving Metropolitan Research Universities

Research indicates that students benefit from working with faculty with whom they can identify. Do Hispanic students find Hispanic faculty with whom to work at Hispanic Serving Institutions? To answer that question, this study builds on a 13-year line of research that has focused on engaged, public, metropolitan research universities. From a national sample of 35 such universities, this study examines the eight R1 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). These eight HSIs serve as important anchor institutions in their respective metropolitan regions: (a) Florida International University (Miami, FL); (b) University of California, Riverside (Los Angeles, CA); (c) University of Houston, Houston (Houston, TX); (d) University of Illinois, Chicago (Chicago, IL); (e) University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM); (f) University of North Texas, Denton (Dallas, TX); and (g) University of Texas, Arlington (Dallas, TX). Using IPEDS data, this study examines the proportional representation (ratio) of faculty to students in 18 intersectional gender-race/ethnicity categories for each HSI over the 10-year period, 2011 to 2020. The central statistic is the percentage of full-time faculty in a gender-race/ethnicity category (e.g., Female Hispanic/Latino full-time faculty) is subtracted by the percentage of 12- month unduplicated student headcount in that same category (e.g., Female Hispanic/Latino students). When the outcome of this operation is positive, the faculty in that category are said to be overrepresented; when negative, underrepresented. The study's findings demonstrate the underrepresentation of Female Hispanic/Latino faculty at these HSIs and the overrepresentation of Male White faculty. Details of each university's dynamics are discussed, as well as their overall pattern.