Underfunded, Misunderstood, and Underappreciated: A First-Person History of Faculty Life Inside an Urban Public University.

This case study examines the University of New Orleans (UNO), an urban public university founded in 1958 as the first integrated university in New Orleans, focusing on its Department of Educational Leadership during the 1990s. It highlights the institution's transition from a predominantly white, underfunded university toward a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive graduate leadership program reflective of the city's demographics, amid systemic challenges such as racial segregation, austerity policies, and competition with the flagship Louisiana State University (LSU). Through first-person narratives of two faculty members, the study explores the intersections of race, class, religion, and identity within the university's mission, faculty experiences, and student recruitment efforts, emphasizing the persistent inequities urban public universities face in funding and recognition. The authors also discuss the broader implications of these dynamics for educational leadership research and the survival of urban public institutions in politically and economically constrained environments.