Characteristics, Job Satisfaction, and Workplace Perceptions of Foreign-Born Faculty at Public 2-Year Institutions

Abstract

Foreign-born faculty members in community colleges can serve as a valuable resource to their institutions’ growing internationalization efforts. This study uses the data from the 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty to examine the characteristics, job satisfaction, and workplace perceptions of the foreign-born group of the professoriate at public 2-year institutions relative to their U.S.-born peers. Together with other minority faculty groups, foreign-born faculty members, with their diverse cultural and language backgrounds, can be instrumental in serving increasingly diverse student populations in community colleges nationwide. The findings of this study may help 2-year institutions more effectively attract and retain foreign-born faculty members and provide them with a rewarding and supportive workplace.