Cheryl Fields, the executive editor of Blacks in Higher Education, says that a study by her publication a year and a half ago revealed that there are about 140 black college presidents in the nation. That number includes junior colleges. Of the 140, 116 work at historically black institutions, and the majority are men.

Universities are conscious of this lack of minority faculty and leadership, Fields says, but large obstacles to promotion remain for many minority candidates.

"The path to these types of careers is often a very tricky path for people of color," she says. "Some people get catapulted into these positions before they are ready. Some are overlooked when they are ready."

Although many schools follow the popular trend of talking about diversity, not all follow through, Fields says.

"There are some institutions that do walk the walk and talk the talk," she says. "There are others, however, that allege a commitment to diversity, but when you look at the diversity of senior administrators, it doesn't resonate with what they say they believe in."

She says this situation is "shameful for institutions whose responsibility it is to create and groom that talent."

"The excuse that we can't find people who meet our standard seems incredibly naive to me and inexcusable," Fields says. "When the U.S. wanted to go to the moon it didn't say, 'We don't have rockets.' They found the people to build the rockets."