“It was interesting to hear how others in our community are dealing with downsizing,” Knighton said. “We’re dealing with a lot of the same issues, and it was good to see how they made sure these decisions don’t overly impact one or more groups in their institutions. These are ideas that I’ll take back to Clemson.”
Although maintaining diversity is a popular buzz phrase, making it a reality can mean opposing a long-standing culture in an organization or an institution of higher education, said Dr. James A. Anderson, chancellor of Fayetteville State University and introductory AAAA keynote speaker.
It’s imperative that Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity officers speak up and advise their organizations on effective and appropriate ways to mitigate the effect the economic downturn has on diversity, said Frank L. Matthews, session moderator and co-founder of Cox, Matthews & Associates Inc., publisher of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine and DiverseEducation.com.
To do otherwise sets a bad precedent, he cautioned.
“You are the change agents on your campuses and in your organizations,” Matthews said. “People will try to play it safe, but you must find advocates who support maintaining diversity. If we don’t, it’s like the old saying, there will be no one left when they come for us.”
