Cross-cultural peer mentoring: One approach to enhancing White faculty adjustment at Black colleges

Abstract

White faculty members at America’s Black colleges face numerous social obstacles. Exploring the experiences of White faculty members at four historically Black Colleges and universities (HBCUs) and their adjustment to a minority status assists the comprehension of issues surrounding this subgroup. Utilizing a phenomenological approach, narratives from twenty-seven White faculty members were analyzed to garner an understanding of their experiences at these colleges. Strategies to developing faculty peer-mentoring that would assist adjustment for the White faculty were discussed. Recommending greater engagement of Black and White faculty to assist White faculty adjust to these very significant environments is the main theme.