Alumna Antija Allen's book about the experiences of Black faculty in higher education has earned a spot on the list of Outstanding Academic Titles of 2023.

We're Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies, published by Cambridge University Press, is among the top ten percent of the works reviewed and recommended by Choice, a publishing unit of the American Library Association.

Many colleges emphasize the diversity of their student population and the DEI programs that support undergraduate students of color. Allen, a 2002 Neumann graduate, examines these institutions through the same lens but with a different focus, the faculty.

She organizes her collection of research articles and personal narratives to address three themes: the journey from student to faculty, promoting mental wellness, and strategies for inclusion and retention.

Describing her work for Amazon, she writes, “We're Not OK shares the experiences of Black faculty to take the reader on a journey, from the obstacles of landing a full-time faculty position through the unique struggles of being a Black educator at a predominantly white institution, along with how these deterrents impact inclusion, retention, and mental health.”

According to Bill Mickey, Choice editorial director, “The Outstanding Academic Titles award is bestowed upon the best scholarly titles … Choice editors base their selections on the title’s overall excellence in presentation and scholarship, its importance relative to other literature in the field, and its importance in building undergraduate library collections.”

We’re Not OK has been featured in Insight into Diversity magazine, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and several podcasts.

Allen is an assistant professor of Psychology, Natural & Behavior Sciences at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee, and adjunct assistant professor at Teachers College of Columbia University. Her co-editor, Justin T. Stewart, is a faculty career coach at Allen Ivy Prep Consulting.