Diversity and racial equity in corporations and institutions of higher education have grown in importance during recent years, especially as contemporary research has been conducted on the experiences of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) faculty members (Davis & Huang, 2013; Gee, Peck, & Wong, 2015). However, the higher education research has excluded AAPIs, with little complex analysis on AAPIs’ experiences as student or faculty (Museus, 2009).

The purpose of this interview-based qualitative study was to give voice to AAPI faculty members at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). I utilized a basic interpretive design to examine individual experiences that shaped the perceptions of AAPI faculty members at their respective institutions. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of the Model Minority Myth and Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype and the construct of microaggressions, 9 AAPI faculty members participated in interviews in which they described their career experiences at PWIs. AAPI faculty members stated that they were able to individually transcend microaggressions by drawing from life experiences, taking strategic action, and experiencing the gradual increase of AAPI faculty members and their academic program representation at PWIs.

The basic interpretive design methodology that I utilized resulted in findings that connected and strengthened the theoretical frameworks of the Model Minority Myth and Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype as mentioned, with the effects of microaggressions on AAPI faculty members for this study. The data collected on AAPI faculty members’ experiences at their institutions reveal the effects of the Model Minority Myth, perpetuating the narrative of monolithic AAPI success in academia and careers, yet not in the mold of leadership qualities (Yamagata-Noji & Gee, 2012). Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype, as the xenophobic racism that minority groups in the Unites States are considered non or less American (Armenta et al., 2013). Microaggressions are subtle discrimination against minorities (Sue, 2010) that effect AAPIs’ career experiences. Implications for future research will help higher education administrative leadership and stakeholders better support career experiences and opportunities for AAPI faculty members.