A February survey from the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education found only eight black economists teaching undergraduate courses at the top 30 highest-ranked universities nationwide.
Brown - along with Harvard University, Washington University in St. Louis and Georgetown University - has only one black economist on its faculty, according to the JBHE. Tufts University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have two black economists.
Professor of Economics Glenn Loury said he is not surprised by the statistics presented in the JBHE survey, adding that the small number of black economics professors stems from the fact that fewer blacks enroll in doctorate and other higher education programs. Loury, who is considered one of the nation's leading economists and black social commentators, was the first black economics professor to be tenured at Harvard.
When considering the path from college- to university-level teaching, Loury said, "You will see the number of blacks dwindle down as you progress into higher levels of education." The immediate solution, Loury said, is to increase the number of black Ph.D. students as well as the number of those interested in teaching.
The data from the JBHE study supports Loury's claim that the small number of blacks in graduate-level economics programs is causing the shortage of black economists. Data revealed that only about 20 blacks receive doctorates in economics each year. The study did not reveal any racial prejudice on the part of the educational institutions when hiring faculty.
Loury suggested the field should address issues of more concern to blacks, including the prison system, welfare, ghettos and issues relating to Hurricane Katrina.
At Brown, the Department of Economics is not the only department with few black professors, according to Micaela Dowdy '07, former managing editor of the African Sun.
"Black teachers here are all concentrated in African studies," Dowdy said. She believes the University should make an attempt to add more black faculty members to different departments.
Dowdy, an ethnic studies concentrator, stressed the importance of diversity in the Brown faculty, and said that while a focus on black issues is critical, an overall increase in the number of black professors at the University would be a positive change.
"The presenter of the information is just as important as the information itself," she said.
