Reaching the Mountaintop of the Academy

A volume in Contemporary Perspectives on Access, Equity and AchievementSeries Editor: Chance W. Lewis, University of North Carolina at CharlotteSince the U.S. Civil Rights era, the racial composition of higher education has changeddramatically, resulting in an increase in the number of African American students andAfrican American faculty in predominantly white institutions (PWI). Nevertheless, the number of African Americanendowed or distinguished professors remains small.Because it is difficult for African American faculty to attain these prized positions, those who have done so possessinvaluable knowledge that may be beneficial to others. Reaching the Mountaintop of the Academy: PersonalNarratives, Advice and Strategies from Black Distinguished and Endowed Professors, fills an important niche in thecanon of higher education literature. In the autobiographical chapters that follow, numerous distinguished andendowed professors (1) describe their personal journey to the distinguished or endowed professorship; (2) explainimportant life lessons that they learned during their journey; (3) describe their current professional goals; and (4)offer suggestions and recommendations for graduate students, untenured faculty,tenured faculty, and college/university administrators. At a time when manypredominantly white higher education institutions continue to have difficultyattracting and retaining African American faculty, and African American facultycontinue to struggle for full inclusion in the academy, this book is timely andneeded.