Online Resource Established for Scholars of Color

Sept. 30, 2003

PHILADELPHIA Getting started in any line of work is challenging without the right connections, but an aspiring professor of color has the daunting task of navigating a field in which there are relatively few peers.  Now, scholars of color have a place to turn for guidance.   

The Emerging Scholars Interdisciplinary Network at the University of Pennsylvania is a resource that provides information about research funding, fellowships, job and networking opportunities and career development.  

EISN was founded in 2000 by Sean Joe, an assistant professor in Penn's School of Social Work when he was a postdoctoral fellow.

"Any employment situation is an interpersonal situation, so, when you bring in issues of race and gender and class, it has an impact," Joe said.  "When you don't have easy access to opportunity and information, it makes it much more difficult to advance to becoming an assistant professor or full, tenured professor.  You're not told about an opportunity in a special program, you're not going to know about a special training opportunity."  

ESIN offers practical, easy to understand information at its Web site --

http://www.emergingscholars.net --  including advice from successful senior scholars of color from major research universities,  information about recruiting and retaining minority faculty.