Many colleges and universities purport to desire racial diversity, yet few make considerable progress in this regard. Why are some schools much more successful than others? This author compared colleges/universities that have achieved relatively high percentages of African American and Latino American students and faculty to those with low percentages. Semistructured interviews were used to gather information about each school. At the successful schools, more people participate in diversity efforts, and administrators more often have the time, mandate, and power to be effective. The successful schools employ a wider variety of affirmative action practices, and these practices are more often proactive, involve persons of color, include curriculum and co-curriculum intervention, and address root causes of the problem. Employees and activists from the successful schools possess greater commitment to, and knowledge about, diversity. Finally, the campus climate at the successful schools offers greater support for racial diversity.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Altbach, P. G.
, & Lomotey, K. (1991). The racial crisis in American higher education. Albany: State University of New York.
2.
Atcherson, E.
, & Conyers, J. E. (1989). Inside the profession: AA/EEO personnel attitudes about affirmative action. CUPA Journal, 40, 18-21.
3.
Bowen, W. G.
, & Bok, D. (1998). The shape of the river: Long-term consequences of considering race in college and university admissions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University.
4.
Chambliss, E.
(1989). The role of confrontation in equal opportunity advocacy. Madison: University of Wisconsin Law School.
5.
Collins, S. M.
(1997). Black corporate executives: The making and breaking of a Black middle class. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University.
6.
Conrad, C. A.
(1999). Affirmative action and admission to the University of California. In P. Ong (Ed.), Impacts of affirmative action: Policies and consequences (pp. 171-196). Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira.
7.
Cross, T.
(2000). Hopwood in doubt: The folly of setting a grand theory requiring race neutrality in all programs of higher education. Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 29, 60-84.
8.
Cross, T.
, & Slater, R. B. (1999). Only the onset of affirmative action explains the explosive growth of Black enrollments in higher education. Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 23, 110-115.
9.
Darden, J. T.
, Kamel, S. M., & Jacobs, A. T. (1998). Black faculty in predominately White U. S. institutions of higher education: The influence of Black student enrollment. Equity and Excellence in Education, 31, 6-18.
10.
Davis, D. W.
(1996). White Americans’opposition to racial policies: Where are the political explanations?Social Science Quarterly, 77, 746-750.
11.
Edelman, L.
, Petterson, S., Chambliss, E., & Erlanger, H. S. (1991). Legal ambiguity and the politics of compliance: Affirmative action officers’ dilemma. Law and Policy, 13, 73-99.
12.
El-Khawas, E.
(1989). Campus trends, 1989. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
13.
Hitt, M. A.
, & Keats, B. W. (1984). Empirical identification of the criteria for effective affirmative action programs. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 20, 203-222.
14.
Jencks, C.
, & Phillips, M. (1998). The Black-White test score gap. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
15.
Jones, A. J.
(1991). Affirmative talk, affirmative action: A comparative study of the politics of affirmative action. New York: Praeger.
16.
Justiz, M. J.
, Wilson, R., & Bjork, L. G. (1994). Minorities in higher education. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx.
17.
Kelly, E.
, & Dobbin, F. (1998). How affirmative action became diversity management: Employee response to antidiscrimination law 1961 to 1996. American Behavioral Scientist, 41, 960-984.
18.
Kelsey, W. M.
(1988). Affirmative action in public two-year colleges. CUPA Journal, 39, 35-39.
19.
Knowles, M. F.
, & Harleston, B. W. (1997). Achieving diversity in the professorate: Challenges and opportunities. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
20.
Liss, L.
(1977). Affirmative action officers—Are they change agents?Educational Record, 58, 418-428.
21.
Lowe, E. Y.
(1999). Promise and dilemma: Incorporating racial diversity in selective higher education. In E. Y. Lowe (Ed.), Promise and dilemma: Perspectives on racial diversity and higher education (pp. 3-43). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University.
22.
Macaulay, S.
(1986). Chapter 9: Private government. In L. Lipson & S. Wheeler (Eds.), Law and the social sciences (pp. 445-518). New York: Russell Sage.
23.
National Center for Education Statistics
. (1999). Digest of education statistics 1999. Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Education.
24.
Peterson’s
. (1999). 4 year colleges 1999. Princeton, NJ: Author.
25.
Pfeffer, J.
, Davis-Blake, A., & Julius, D. J. (1995). AA officer salaries and managerial diversity: Efficiency wages or status?Industrial Relations, 34, 73-94.
26.
Rai, K. B.
, & Critzer, J. W. (2000). Affirmative action and the university: Race, ethnicity and gender in higher education employment. Lincoln: University of Nebraska.
27.
Schuman, H.
, Steeh, C., Bobo, L., & Krysan, M. (1997). Racial attitudes in America: Trends and interpretations. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.
28.
Smith, D. G.
(1996). Achieving faculty diversity: Debunking the myths. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
29.
Taylor, E.
, & Olswang, J. D. (1997). Crossing the color line: African Americans and predominantly White universities. College Student Journal, 31, 11-18.
30.
Tuch, S. A.
, & Sigelman, L. (1997). Race, class, and Black-White differences in social policy views. In B. Norrander & C. Wilcox (Eds.), Understanding public opinion (pp. 37-54). Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly.
31.
U. S. Bureau of the Census
. (1997). Statistical abstract of the United States 1997. Washington, DC: Author.
32.
Washington, V.
, & Harvey, W. (1989). Affirmative rhetoric, negative action: African-American and Hispanic faculty at predominantly White institutions. Washington, DC: George Washington University.
33.
Welch, S.
, & Gruhl, J. (1998). Affirmative action and minority enrollments in medical and law schools. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
34.
Williams, J. B.
(1992). Affirmative action at Harvard. In H. Orlans & J. O’Neill (Eds.), Affirmative action revisited (pp. 207-220). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
