The entire diversity landscape of our university campuses is changing. As American colleges and universities address their need for more globally aware campuses, academic institutions are hiring well-qualified foreign-born scholars to teach in their programs. Both non-resident alien faculty as well as those who are foreign-born but are classified permanent residents or American citizens, whether U.S. educated or educated in foreign countries, bring an immense amount of talent to the American academy. These faculty not only provide diversity but hey also satisfy vital needs in several disciplines, predominantly those in the sciences and engineering, but also those in the social sciences and humanities. Foreign-born faculty enhance the lives of the students they teach and the curriculum of the universities in which they teach. They bring with them international connections, which are important to global collaborations involving both teaching and research. Yet, little is known about their experiences as faculty, in particular the unique obstacles they face, what motivates them to overcome these distinctive challenges, and the effect mentoring and social networks have had on their career successes. In order to gain a better understanding of foreign-born faculty, this study uncovered some of the factors affecting their academic career successes. The faculty in this study experienced the same obstacles as native-born faculty. However, they also were confronted with additional obstacles which included problems with visas and immigration, communication challenges, in particular those related to oral and interpersonal communication, and feelings of being different which frequently resulted in isolation and alienation. While mentoring is known to be a support system that can affect individuals' successes, the faculty in this study found success without the aid of mentoring. Instead, more informal collaborations and support from colleagues, friends, and family took the place of formal mentoring. Finally, motivation that was both internal and externally driven was an important factor in the faculties' successes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]