Some of the findings have been startling. For example, there’s a 50 percentage point difference in the numbers of African-American and White male faculty who say they have a favorable view of the campus climate. But UW is taking immediate action, conducting two executive-level searches to address the issues identified in the survey.
“One of the positions is in the provost’s office. We’re looking for an associate vice provost for faculty advancement to strengthen our recruiting of faculty of color,” says Joanne Suffis, interim vice president of human resources for UW. “I am hiring a diversity staffing specialist that will have a similar role for staff.”
But while campuses appear to be stepping up their efforts to transform the college-going experience on a broad front, experts in this area send up a warning flag.
Even if they succeed in their most ambitious efforts, they caution, it will not eliminate conflict.
“Actually, conflict is not a bad thing,” Milem says, citing work from educational activist Parker Palmer. “[He] has argued you can’t have community without conflict. As you increase your representation of under-represented groups, they put pressure on the institution to change in ways that are responsive to their needs. That’s why you need to pay attention to curriculum, to pedagogy, to ways of mediating the conflicts which are certain to arise,” Milem says.
Gurin concurs, “There’s too much longing for campuses without conflict. I’m sure that there are parents out there who wish an educational experience for their kids that is pain-free and bathed in the glow of this rosy, rosy climate. But it’s not possible and, if you think about it, it really would be a disservice to the kids and the type of world they’ll have to navigate as adults.”
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
