Assessing Campus Diversity Initiatives

"Drawing on emerging research and proven instruments, [the authors] are offering some of the necessary tools needed to evaluate diversity work, whatever one's subject matter or level of expertise in assessment"--

This monograph, the first in a series of three, on campus diversity issues is the result of a collaboration of scholars and evaluators who consulted on five campus diversity initiatives. It uses research findings that chart college and university efforts to move from the rhetoric of inclusion to the practice of equity, arguing that the current flurry of activity is part of a much longer democratic tradition in higher education that has gradually, and often under pressure, made a college education available to more people on an equal basis. Two sections in Chapter 1, which provides an historical background, discuss "U.S. Engagement with Diversity: Founded in Pluralism" and "The Evolving Understanding of Diversity." Chapter 2, "Centrality of Diversity to the Academy's Educational Mission," focuses on "Principal Arguments for Addressing Diversity" and "Campuses as Laboratories." Chapter 3, "The Emerging Diversity Trend," looks at "Trends across Campuses" and "The Emerging National Mosaic." Chapter 4, "Pitfalls and Pinnacles: Campus Lessons," offers "Advice from the Field" and "Dimensions of Diversity." Chapter 5, "Key to Progress: Reasons for Using Assessment in Diversity Work," underscores the value and significance of assessing diversity work in spite of the difficulty or unfamiliarity some may have with the task. An appendix lists colleges and universities that received grants from five foundations and one corporate philanthropic program. (Contains 34 references.) (SM)

This book examines campus climate data collected from undergraduates at several large, public research universities across the nation to enhance understanding of the long-term impact of campus climate on student success. Many universities have refocused their attention and energy on campus climate, defined in this volume as students’ perceptions of how welcoming and respectful their campus environments are for students from different social identities. As structural diversity continues to grow more complex on college campuses around the nation, campus leaders have begun to take more steps to understand campus climate and address persistent inequalities, acts of discrimination, and violence against students from diverse backgrounds. The authors in this volume address initiatives to improve campus climate and provide empirical evidence on the effectiveness of those programs.

This report presents a review of the literature and an annotated bibliography of research on the impact of campus diversity initiatives on American college students. First, an executive summary concludes that, overall, the literature suggests that diversity initiatives positively affect both minority and majority students on campus. It specifically identifies successful strategies such as programs which focus on the transition to college of underrepresented students, mentoring programs, specialized student support programs, programs which emphasize opportunities for interaction between and among student groups, and serious engagement with diversity issues in the curriculum and classroom. The two chapters of Part 1 provide a context for campus diversity research and explain the framework for searching, organizing, and analyzing the literature. Part 2 presents the research findings in four chapters which address: (1) representation inclusion and success of underrepresented populations; (2) campus climate and intergroup relations; (3) education and scholarship curriculum, teaching, and learning; and (4) institutional transformation findings on comprehensive campus commitments to diversity. A final chapter considers implications for the future. An annotated bibliography provides abstracts for over 250 related articles and books. (Also contains approximately 150 references.) (DB)

Exploring Campus Diversity:Case Studies and Exercises explores the realistic chain of events that happens on college and university campuses across the United States that involve issues of diversity and campus climate. Many of the real-life scenarios presented in the book are taken from actual events on university and college campuses. A full array of learning exercises is associated with each of the case studies, and problem-solving questions are presented to stimulate understanding of the situations and how they relate using thoughtful, critical, and reflective reasoning. Specifically, Exploring Campus Diversity examines diversity dilemmas pertaining to the challenges of expanding diversity and equity on American campuses. Experts from across the nation proffer problem-solving questions that are included at the end of each case study to guide the reader in ways of thinking about the diversity scenarios and deciding on appropriate ways to understand and recommend action to take in addressing the potential problem. Each case study offers examples of a possible challenge that a college or university might encounter in trying to deal with diversity, campus climate issues, or problematic policies. This book pushes the reader beyond the theoretical to the practical application of diversity principles in their everyday lives.

A practical guide for achieving equitable outcomes From Equity Talk to Equity Walk offers practical guidance on the design and application of campus change strategies for achieving equitable outcomes. Drawing from campus-based research projects sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California, this invaluable resource provides real-world steps that reinforce primary elements for examining equity in student achievement, while challenging educators to specifically focus on racial equity as a critical lens for institutional and systemic change. Colleges and universities have placed greater emphasis on education equity in recent years. Acknowledging the changing realities and increasing demands placed on contemporary postsecondary education, this book meets educators where they are and offers an effective design framework for what it means to move beyond equity being a buzzword in higher education. Central concepts and key points are illustrated through campus examples. This indispensable guide presents academic administrators and staff with advice on building an equity-minded campus culture, aligning strategic priorities and institutional missions to advance equity, understanding equity-minded data analysis, developing campus strategies for making excellence inclusive, and moving from a first-generation equity educator to an equity-minded practitioner. From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: A Guide for Campus-Based Leadership and Practice is a vital wealth of information for college and university presidents and provosts, academic and student affairs professionals, faculty, and practitioners who seek to dismantle institutional barriers that stand in the way of achieving equity, specifically racial equity to achieve equitable outcomes in higher education.

Originally published between 1920-70,The History of Civilization was a landmark in early twentieth century publishing. It was published at a formative time within the social sciences, and during a period of decisive historical discovery. The aim of the general editor, C.K. Ogden, was to summarize the most up to date findings and theories of historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and sociologists. This reprinted material is available as a set or in the following groupings: * Prehistory and Historical Ethnography Set of 12: 0-415-15611-4: £800.00 * Greek Civilization Set of 7: 0-415-15612-2: £450.00 * Roman Civilization Set of 6: 0-415-15613-0: £400.00 * Eastern Civilizations Set of 10: 0-415-15614-9: £650.00 * Judaeo-Christian Civilization Set of 4: 0-415-15615-7: £250.00 * European Civilization Set of 11: 0-415-15616-5: £700.00

This book provides insightful accounts into the diversity program successes and promising practices by diversity officers working on college and university campuses in the United States.

Most if not all universities are challenged to find ways to prepare their constituents to be more effective in serving diverse populations. Diversity trainings are often seen as a solution to this challenge. This paper examines the effectiveness of the Prejudice Reduction Workshop (PRW), developed by the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI). The PRW was a 7-8 hour workshop offered to students, faculty, staff, and community members at a California public university. Participants were assessed before and after the PRW, with an expectation that notable positive changes in their responses from pre to post assessment would occur. This study compared the pre and post assessments to determine if positive change occurred. A follow-up assessment was administered later to determine if changes were maintained with the passage of time. The follow-up assessment also looked for differences in responses of individuals who participated in additional diversity experiences, e.g., attended diversity training or read a book about a culture other than their own, and those who had no additional diversity experiences. Overall, as predicted, there were significant positive shifts in responses to each of the 10 survey items from pre to post assessment. As predicted there were negative shifts, i.e., shifts back toward pre-assessment responses, for most survey items on the follow-up assessment. However, those shifts were not statistically significant. Negative correlations were revealed between several of the survey items and subjects' participation in post workshop diversity initiatives. However, these correlations were not strong. Additionally, the research size (N=163) for the study, particularly the respondents to the follow-up assessment (N=55), was too small to make any broad generalizations. At a minimum, based on the responses to the open-ended questions, the NCBI workshop provides an opportunity for individuals to have difficult dialogue in a safe environment. However, the goal of the work of organizations like NCBI is to affect lasting change in individuals and in our society. If positive shifts we see take place in individuals after participating in a workshop have dissipated over the course of a year, what does this say? This study appears to raise more questions than it answers.