For years, American higher education institutions have been working hard to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of campuses. This work is driven in part by arguments for social justice and the felt need for equal and expanded access to higher education. Since the society is diverse, the author argues that campuses should also reflect that.…

Global perspective-taking involves three critical, developmentally based questions: (1) How do I know?; (2) Who am I?; and (3) How do I relate? As students grapple with these questions, their answers mutually reinforce the cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal domains of human development, highlighting its holistic and integrated nature.…

The defining task for undergraduate departments is the design of a major, including the number and content of courses as well as other requirements. Department members must weigh the desire to produce graduates superbly prepared for further study against the charge that the major requires too large a share of an undergraduate's course options.…

As crucial stakeholders in higher education, employers have long requested, demanded, and implored that colleges and universities help students develop the team skills needed to address challenges posed by innovation. Employers seek college graduates who, in the face of persistent ambiguity and within increasingly complex environments, are able to…

The concept of diversity has come a long way in U.S. higher education, and its impact has been far reaching. Over the last three and a half decades, diversity and its related interventions have evolved to encompass a broad set of purposes, issues, and initiatives on college campuses. The earliest initiatives to increase minority access on…

For too long, too many students and too many of those who influence their thinking have regarded the liberal arts and sciences as a luxury--important sources of knowledge, but not the right preparation for those who seek employment after graduation. But change is in the wind, bringing with it a renaissance for liberal education--although in the…

As a public good, universities have a rare and critical role to play. While Universities educate leaders for the future, they also address important societal issues of the day. The discoveries can and do change the world. The groundwork is laid for the future as work is done to preserve the culture of the past. The university?s role is "rare"…

Asserts that the unity that comes out of a diverse society depends on the development of cognitive, social, and democratic skills, dispositions, and values. Explains that research is in progress as to how this can take place during the college years. (EV)

Describes how, at the University of Maryland, the potentially disruptive events of September 11 had the effect of uniting diverse groups; the spontaneous as well as the planned activities forged a community with common ethos and purpose. (EV)

The Tri-National Seminar on Higher Education and Diversity confronted questions of educational equity in three democracies (United States, India, and South Africa). Common issues debated in each country led to comparative approaches and possibilities for collaboration as some of the outcomes of the seminar initiative. This paper describes the…

The South African education system is engaged in a cultural struggle to bring about equality. The agenda for the country is transformation and equity despite considerable barriers inherited from its past. Examines: identity formation and deconstruction in South Africa; a diversity of inequality; the Enlightenment versus the diversity episteme; and…

American higher education increasingly deepens its commitment to campus diversity. Research indicates the advantages to all students of creating and sustaining diverse academic communities. Strategies for achieving optimal educational environments for learning include curricular and cocurricular initiatives in planning and implementation. Presents…

As globalization increases, American citizens need to be fluent in world languages and cultures. Undergraduate education has not kept pace with this reality, though K-12 language study has increased. Proposes the term linguacy to characterize an appreciation and respect for the richness and variety of the world's languages and cultures and a set…

Colleges can create conditions to maximize the learning that occurs in an environment with a diverse student population. Studies indicate that students who interact with diverse peers demonstrate more complex thinking linked to both cognitive and to social development. Research literature provides strong support for institutional commitment to…

Relationships between college faculty and administrators are at a crossroads; administrators want more efficient institutional functioning, and faculty want more resources and protection from external interference. However, quality and efficiency are not antithetical, and faculty and administrators can develop both, cooperatively, by focusing on…