Annual Surveys of Journalism and Mass Communication

Evaluating the Outcomes of Diversification Initiatives: Stability and Change in Journalism and Mass Communication Faculties 1989-1998

Lee B. Becker, Aswin Punathambekar & Jisu Huh

Abstract

The percentage of faculty in journalism and mass communication programs who are women is increasing, but the change is so slight that, at the present rate, it will be about 2035 before the faculty looks like the students enrolled in journalism and mass communication programs today in terms of gender.

The situation is much the same in terms of race and ethnicity. Growth in the percentage of faculty who are not White is so slow that, at the present rate, it will be 2035 before the faculty looks like today's students in terms of race and ethnicity. By 2035, however, the percentage of students who are members of racial and ethnic minorities is likely to be much higher than it is today–perhaps even so high as to leave a significant gap between the characteristics of the faculty and the students.

Despite the importance of the communication occupations in society and, therefore, of the characteristics of those who teach and do research about them, the faculties of journalism and mass communication have diversified at almost an identical rate as that of university faculties overall.

Becker, L. B., Punathambekar, A., and Huh, J. (2001, August). Evaluating the outcomes of diversification initiatives: stability and change in journalism and mass communication faculties 1989-1998. This paper was presented at the conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Washington, D.C.