Insights into the successful integration of foreign-born faculty in israeli academia: The empowering effect of in-group ethno-cultural similarity

Most studies of foreign-born faculty have documented various difficulties in their careers in academic institutions. This chapter offers data regarding the successful careers of foreign-born faculty in the Israeli academic world and identifies the factors that contributed to this success. Our data are based on several measures for success of foreign-born faculty in the studied institution. A statistical analysis was performed in order to examine to what degree scoring on various excellence criteria distinguishes between foreign- and native-born faculty. The research reveals that foreign-born faculty have succeeded in reaching impressive academic achievements. Five complementary explanations for the successful integration are presented, with the most crucial being in-group ethno-cultural similarity of faculty who immigrated from the same country. We conclude by discussing managerial implications for the successful integration of foreign-born faculty in higher education institutions.