Minority teachers of theology sought

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Minority teachers are underrepresented at theological schools and need more financial help and encouragement to become faculty, according to a group of scholars dedicated to improving religious education.

Most teachers at theological schools are white men, and more than a third of 253 U.S. and Canadian theological schools accredited by the Association of Theological Schools report they don't have a minority on their faculty.

Scholars gathered last week at Vanderbilt University for a meeting of the Fund for Theological Education, an Atlanta-based group that aims to increase the number of minorities teaching at theological schools.

"The diversity deficit in this discipline remains pervasive, and student-scholars are on a road that is often long and lonely," said Sharon Watson Fluker, vice president of doctoral programs and administration for the fund.

There's been a slight increase recently in the number of minority faculty in theological schools. But of the 3,676 total faculty at schools accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, 3,028 are white -- and 2,339 of those are men.

Daniel Aleshire, executive director of the association, notes that about 31 percent of theological school students are minorities, compared with 17 percent of faculty. About one in three U.S. residents is a minority, census figures show.

"It is moving, but it's not enough," Aleshire said.

Fluker said the diversity efforts have to start earlier. Students need mentoring from professors and more financial support from theological schools.

Aleshire said theological schools face several hurdles to getting more minority students to join the faculty. Many blacks with doctorates end up becoming pastors for congregations. Others who do want to stay in higher education teach religious studies at a college or university, where the pay is better.

Monique Moultrie, 31, a Vanderbilt graduate student working toward a doctorate in theological education, plans to apply for teaching jobs this fall.

"Having professors and students in the classroom who represent the variety of our world is essential to opening students' eyes to understanding religion and how it impacts the world," Moultrie said.