Faculty Time Allocation at Historically Black Universities and Its Relationship to Institutional Expectations

Area of Science:

• Higher Education
• Sociology of Education
• Academic Workforce Studies

Background:

• Most faculty time allocation studies focus on Primarily White Institutions.
• Historically Black Universities (HBUs) have unique institutional contexts.
• Understanding time allocation is crucial for faculty support and development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate time allocation patterns of faculty at five HBUs.
• To analyze discrepancies between current, ideal, and expected time allocation.
• To identify demographic differences (tenure status, gender, STEM representation) in time allocation.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from faculty at five HBUs.
• Faculty estimated time allocation percentages for teaching, research, service, and outreach.
• Analysis based on tenure status, gender, and STEM representation.

Main Results:

• Significant discrepancies exist between current and ideal time allocation for research and teaching across demographics.
• The largest gap between current and expected time allocation was in research.
• Women, untenured, and underrepresented faculty reported external factors influencing their time allocation, diverging from personal preferences.

Conclusions:

• Faculty time allocation at HBUs is influenced by factors beyond individual choice, particularly for women and untenured faculty.
• Discrepancies between expected and actual time allocation, especially in research, highlight potential systemic issues.
• Institutional expectations for tenure may not align with faculty handbooks or actual practices, impacting faculty experience.