Research Initiatives in Accounting Education: Toward a More Inclusive Accounting Academy

This essay provides descriptive evidence on the state of under-represented minority (URM) Ph.D. faculty in the accounting academy. Despite the significant growth in URM faculty in the last 26 years, the proportion of URM faculty remains extremely low (below 5 percent). Over 60 percent of URM accounting faculty earn their Ph.D.s at research-intensive institutions, but their employment rate at these institutions, and top-ranked universities, and M.B.A. programs remains low. Although URM faculty are largely excluded from leadership roles in accounting journals, their contributions to research are on par with productivity metrics for all accounting faculty. This essay, the first report of its kind on the state of race in the academy, briefly reviews the relevant existing literature and offers suggestions for future research. This essay also includes recommendations for improving the recruiting and retention of URM faculty and transparency in the publication process aimed at achieving greater inclusiveness in the academy.