Toxic Ivory Towers

The Consequences of Work Stress on Underrepresented Minority Faculty

By Ruth Enid Zambrana

Rutgers University Press

Toxic Ivory Towers seeks to document the professional work experiences of underrepresented minority (URM) faculty in U.S. higher education, and simultaneously address the social and economic inequalities in their life course trajectory. Ruth Enid Zambrana finds that despite the changing demographics of the nation, the percentages of Black and Hispanic faculty have increased only slightly, while the percentages obtaining tenure and earning promotion to full professor have remained relatively stagnant. Toxic Ivory Towers is the first book to take a look at the institutional factors impacting the ability of URM faculty to be successful at their jobs, and to flourish in academia. The book captures not only how various dimensions of identity inequality are expressed in the academy and how these social statuses influence the health and well-being of URM faculty, but also how institutional policies and practices can be used to transform the culture of an institution to increase rates of retention and promotion so URM faculty can thrive.

This book presents the most complete picture to date of faculty of color in elite HWCUs (historically white colleges and universities). It shows how higher education institutions promote unwelcoming climates that adversely affect their career trajectories and the health and well-being. A fascinating read with both frustrating and triumphant moments, the book provides a necessary analysis of the professional lives of an important intellectual group in the academy. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, author of White Out: The Continuing Significance of Racism

In Toxic Ivory Towers, Ruth Zambrana deftly and painfully explores the life experiences of underrepresented minority faculty of color in the academy. The author demonstrates how hegemonic white cultures and structures create and sustain systems of exclusion and discrimination that result in extensive workplace psychological stress for many minority scholars. She goes further than most, locating these academic inequities in the broader and historical contexts of racial and economic injustice in the academy and the society at large. Mark Chesler, Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan, co-editor of Faculty Identities and the Challenge of Div

Toxic Ivory Towers is a thorough review of relevant literature and critical analysis. It contributes to the literature a unique and nuanced examination of workplace stress and the health issues faced by minority faculty. A robust collection of survey and interview data, this book is an important read for educators leading the way toward intentional inclusion within the professoriate. Caroline Turner, author of Diversifying the Faculty: A Guidebook for Search Committees

Through an insightful examination of relevant literature and original research, Ruth Zambrana offers a unique and compelling perspective on the entry, retention and advancement of diverse professionals in science- and health-related careers from a historical and contemporary viewpoint. These are individuals who often find themselves in systems where they are marginalized and/or undervalued because of intersections related to race, ethnicity, gender and being ‘other.’ Toxic Ivory Towers moves the dialogue and the strategic action-agenda and as such contributes significantly to understanding knowledge gaps and illuminating intervention points to advance diversity in the scientific workforce.’
Joan Y. Reede, Harvard Medical School, Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership

The Stress of Being a Minority Faculty Member' by Peter Monaghan Chronicle of Higher Education

Zambrana unmasks the misleading data that a lot of universities publish on the 'success' of diversity initiatives; she offers constructive language for URM faculty to help name their experiences; and, her work provokes responses that challenge the status quo....Every academic leader (presidents, deans, department chairs, and so forth) who wants positive change in these areas will benefit from interacting with Zambrana’s research, and virtually every URM faculty member will benefit from her adeptness at naming the workplace stressors that they experience. Reflective Teaching

Ruth Enid Zambrana is professor of women’s studies and director of the Consortium on Race, Gender, and Ethnicity at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is the author, editor, or coeditor of several books, including Emerging Intersections: Race, Class, and Gender in Theory, Policy, and Practice (Rutgers University Press).

Contents
1          Where is the Diversity? The Importance of the Domestic Talent Pool in Elite Higher Education Institutions
2          The History and Importance of Inclusion of Historically Underrepresented Faculty in the Academy
3          The Academy as a Site of Intellectual Determinism
4          Mentoring: Institutions Applying a Solution without Acknowledging the Problem
5          Unwelcoming Climates: The Costs of Balancing Belonging and Inequality
6          Work-Family Balance: The Quandary of URM Professionals
7          The Intersection of Hiring, Appointment, Tenure and Promotion: Is it Possible to Survive and Thrive?
8          Workplace Stress: Impact on Well-being and Academic Career Path
9          Does Gender Matter?
10        Creating a Sense of Belonging for URMS in the Academy
Acknowledgments
Notes
About the Author

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