The need to look elsewhere: The push and pull of underrepresented minority faculty professional networks

Minority faculty are dramatically underrepresented in science. Qualitative studies of minorities in the workplace point to evidence of exclusion, and qualitatively different experiences in the work environment. Yet, little is known about how these factors matter in the structure and resources of professional networks of underrepresented minorities (Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans). Most studies have focused on work environment issues, and little is known about minority networks. Do underrepresented minorities develop different career-oriented networks than the majority? And how do those differences relate to research productivity? Based on data collected as part of an NSF-funded national study of academic scientists, this paper reports findings regarding the structure, composition, and career resources in the professional networks of minority academic scientists. Preliminary results using a series of explanatory models and statistics show that although minorities do not have significantly different network sizes, they do differ in terms of network composition and resources. More specifically, minorities tend to have larger collaborative networks outside their current institutions. This is explained mostly by perceptions of personal support within one´s own academic institution. As a result, work climate variables help explain differences in productivity.