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ERIC Number: EJ1233954
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0024-1822
EISSN: N/A
Advancing Our Vision: Breadth, Depth, and Impact of Diversity and Inclusion Work
McNair, Lily D.
Liberal Education, v105 n2 Spr 2019
The author, Lily D. McNair, is the president of Tuskegee University. The article is based on her talk at the Networking Luncheon for Faculty and Administrators of Color at AAC&U's 2019 annual meeting. Over the past several decades, areas of diversity have become prominent in academia as institutions have created and expanded programs for black studies, Latino studies, Asian American studies, gender studies, and multicultural studies. The terms diversity and inclusion are often conflated, with people regularly using one term when they mean the other. Inclusion goals often reflect increased diversity, but when addressing how to create an inclusive community, some in higher education fail to assess how their community reflects the diversity necessary to have inclusion. There is often talk about inclusion and ways to promote diversity, but little consideration of the campus being an open place for all. Colleges and universities need to focus on diversity as a first step to inclusion and be aware of how diversity shows itself in the classroom. Sometimes it's obvious, but other times, one simply cannot "see" diversity by scanning the faces in the room. Diversity comes from having students who represent different genders and who have different religious beliefs and socioeconomic backgrounds. It comes from having students who are first-generation college students, veterans, and adult learners. It comes from having students with a variety of learning styles. And, it is reflected in having students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. While the strategies for increasing diversity are specific to each campus, leadership is key. Presidents and other top leaders have an incredible platform from which to communicate a vision that includes a diverse campus. The ways in which presidents talk about diversity at the campus level affect how students, administrators, faculty members, and other staff think about and work toward a more diverse campus. When a president makes diversity a priority, the campus community knows that it is OK to talk about diversity and that it is valued.
Association of American Colleges and Universities. 1818 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. Tel: 800-297-3775; Tel: 202-387-3760; Fax: 202-265-9532; e-mail: pub_desk@aacu.org; Web site: http://www.aacu.org/publications/index.cfm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Alabama
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A