According to new data from the Institute on International Education, in the 2011-12 academic year, there were 116,917 foreign scholars teaching at American colleges and universities. The number of foreign scholars was up slightly from the previous year. More than 83 percent of these foreign scholars are from either Europe or Asia. Only 2,809, or 2.4 percent, are from African nations. This is down from 3,800 just four years ago. At that time, scholars from Africa made up 3.3 percent of all foreign professors teaching at U.S. universities.
Not unexpectedly, the number of scholars from the Arab nations of North Africa teaching in the U.S. declined significantly after September 11, 2001. But still, nearly 33 percent of the African scholars teaching in the United States are from the Arab nations of North Africa. In the 2011-12 academic years there were 1,887 scholars from sub-Saharan African nations teaching at U.S. colleges and universities. This is down from 2,750 just four years ago.
Nigeria sent 315 scholars to teach in the U.S., more than any other sub-Saharan African nation. But the number of Nigerian scholars teaching here has dropped by more 25 percent over the past four years. South African ranked second with 298 scholars teaching in the U.S. In all probability, some of these South African scholars are White. Kenya was third with 224 professors at American colleges and universities.
Among other sub-Saharan African nations, Ghana and Ethiopia were the only other countries to send as many as 100 scholars to teach at U.S. universities. Six other sub-Saharan African nations sent more than 25 black scholars to the U.S.
There are also 357 scholars from Caribbean nations teaching at U.S. colleges and universities including 104 from Jamaica and 83 from Trinidad and Tobago. In all probability, many of these scholars are Black.
