Paying It Forward: The Role of Senior Black Faculty in Preparing Junior Faculty and Black Doctoral Students for Career Success

Senior Black faculty make a valuable contribution to the professorate by serving intentionally and vicariously as mentors to junior Black faculty and doctoral students. The authors of this research discuss the outcomes of a project consisting of two panel seminars that were provided to junior Black faculty and doctoral students at a Research I urban university. Topics covered included department politics, the publication process, developing a research agenda, submission of the tenure “package,” and the review process. This article concludes with implications for Black doctoral student retention and increasing the number of Black faculty in higher education who attain promotion and tenure.