Counseling Center
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
Faculty Involvement in
Diversity: Lessons Learned
Kristy Johnson Schuermann
and William E. Sedlacek
Research Report #9-97
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
Faculty Involvement in
Diversity: Lessons Learned
Kristy Johnson Schuermann
and William E. Sedlacek
Summary
The Evaluation Committee of
the Campus Diversity Initiative at the University of Maryland conducted a study
of faculty who have shown a commitment to diversity education in their
research, teaching, and service. The Committee desired to learn more about what
these faculty do, and they hoped to encourage these faculty to become involved
in the Campus Diversity Initiative. The faculty members interviewed offered
useful feedback and insight for how the University can meet its goals and
"walk its talk" in regard to diversity efforts. As a result of this
assessment the Evaluation and Faculty Relations Committee of the Campus
Diversity Initiative determined new ways to acknowledge and reward faculty for
their important diversity work.
Some of the new ideas
generated included keeping the message "fresh" using collaboration
with campus departments, organizing teams of "aware" faculty who could
provide consultation to others and having sustained small group discussions
among faculty and students.
Other results and ideas are
discussed in the report.
In recent years many
institutions, both public and private, have rapidly incorporated the
advancement of cultural diversity as a major component of strategic plans. Many
of these plans not only include issues of recruitment and retention, but they
also focus on educating and developing people to think more complexly while
reaching new levels of understanding of what it means to live and work in a
diverse environment. Many, like Buchan (1991) believe that "racial and
ethnic diversity raises a set of issues that are central to educational content
and quality" (p. 28).
The role of faculty in
campus diversity efforts is critical in providing opportunities for students to
learn about diversity within their curricular and co-curricular lives.
Sedlacek (1995) concluded that faculty issues were some of the most important but
most difficult problems to address in diversity programming. Sedlacek (1995)
also found that most faculty did not see a role for themselves on diversity
issues, even in their classrooms. Diversity was someone's else's concern.
Faculty, in general, do no want to be seen as social change agents. They want
to teach and do research as scholars (Helm, Sedlacek, and Prieto, 1998).
Those faculty who do work
above and beyond teaching assignments and research agendas are often times
women and faculty of color. These faculty members are also the ones called upon
to do the necessary educating in areas of diversity. For some faculty,
diversity and multiculturalism are an effort to revise the curriculum. For
others, it not only includes curriculum enhancement, but also research and
service activities involving issues of diversity. Acknowledging the faculty who
do make the contributions in the area of diversity education is one way to
reward their extra efforts. These faculty members are not often rewarded for
their diversity work through the traditional university reward
structures (i.e. promotion/tenure).. Is it important
for a university to place the value of diversity education at the forefront?
How can a university support and reward faculty in their extra efforts around
diversity education? Are there any existing models of campus-wide diversity
initiatives that can help address these questions?
One large, public, research
university on the East Coast has made a commitment to promote the success of
students by emphasizing the educational significance and honoring of diversity.
The creation of the Campus Diversity Initiative, with the direction and support
from the President, was an effort to promote the campus's dedication to diversity.
Over the course of the last ten years, the university has invested significant
resources in creating and supporting a model of diversity and inclusiveness in
its campus community. Six primary objectives are now at the core the Diversity
Initiative: communication, community building, inclusiveness, assessment,
shared responsibilities, and institutionalization. What kind of impact have
faculty had on this campus' diversity effort?
As part of the evaluation
effort of the campus's Diversity Initiative, it was determined that it would be
important to recognize faculty who have gone above and beyond the call of duty
to positively impact the success of students, particularly those traditionally
underrepresented on campus. In the past, broadly surveying faculty in regards
to diversity issues was the common approach to assess their impact, attitudes,
and behaviors. The evaluation committee did not want to do another broad
survey, but instead decided to do a targeted study that would provide more in
depth and detailed information on what noted faculty are doing around campus in
regards to diversity education. This targeted approach would make future
faculty surveys more useful and
Faculty Involvement in Diversity 5
specific. Therefore, the evaluation committee embarked
on a study that involved interviewing faculty across disciplines. This
evaluation project would also serve to address the lack of data on the
effectiveness of diversity efforts (Brooks & Gersh, 1998).
The specific goals of the
study were: 1) to find out what a select group of known committed faculty are
doing in their classrooms, in their research, and in other areas that related
to diversity education; 2) to acknowledge the efforts of these faculty members
in the hopes of drawing more faculty into the campus Diversity Initiative, and;
3) to gather the perspectives of these faculty members on their view of the
campus Diversity Initiative as well as their ideas on the next steps the campus
can take to build on current diversity efforts.
Method
Members of the campus Diversity Initiative
evaluation committee served as a research team that engaged in the activity of
identifying and interviewing faculty who fit the profile of promoting diversity
in their work. The faculty identified also represented a variety of departments
and programs, and they are themselves diverse by race, gender, ethnicity,
sexual orientation, religion, and nationality. A list of approximately 30
faculty members were generated by the committee itself and suggestions were
taken from knowledgeable people outside of the committee to expand the pool of
possibilities.
The Program Evaluator for
the Diversity Initiative, a doctoral student, served as the primary researcher
for the project. The committee, as a group, determined interview questions and
protocol for contacting and conducting the interviews with the faculty. Each
committee member carried out at least one interview, but most completed two.
These interviews lasted approximately 30 minutes to one hour each. The
interviews were
tape recorded to ensure accuracy and appropriate
consent was obtained prior to beginning the conversations with each faculty
member.
Given the fact that so many
faculty were over-extended, not all faculty who were identified by the
committee were able to be interviewed. A total of fourteen interviews were
completed by the committee.
The departments represented
were: History, Counseling and Personnel Services (2), Government and Politics,
Entomology, College of Education, American Studies, Fire Protection Engineering
(2), Center for International Development and Conflict Management, Women's
Studies (2), Mathematics and Anthropology. While some departments were
represented more than others it was the intention of the committee to have a
broad range of departments included.
The results of the
interviews were organized into four main sections: 1) Diversity Related Faculty
Activities; 2) The Impact of Faculty Involvement in Diversity Education; 3)
Faculty Perception of the Campus Diversity Initiative (both positive comments
and concerns); and finally, 4) Suggestions for Next Steps in the Campus
Diversity Effort (separated by themes) including a section on Positive Outcomes
from the Project. The third and fourth sections will be reported and discussed
in this article.
I. Faculty Perception of the Campus Diversity
Initiative
During the interviews, these
faculty members were asked to comment on what they know about the campus
Diversity Initiative and what they believe to be the impact of this Initiative.
One strong theme emerged from this question.
The Diversity Initiative is There and Visible
All of the faculty
interviewed knew about the campus Diversity Initiative. They have seen the
posters and flyers around campus. Some were involved with the planning of
events and many had attended events sponsored by the Initiative. One faculty
member invited people who plan events and programs for the Diversity Initiative
to her class. Some faculty knew of the staff within the Office of Human
Relations Programs (Diversity Initiative central office) and accessed resources
through this office. Two faculty members mentioned knowledge of the Ford
Foundation grant (diversity grant awarded to campus) and the Diversity Web site
(a web site housed at the university). One faculty noted that the Diversity
Initiative is about more than race. They all believed that the Diversity
Initiative is visible and well advertised.
In regards to how these
faculty members assessed the impact of the Diversity Initiative both positive
comments and concerns were shared.
Positive Comments
Support is Strong/Components
/Components Impressive: Many of the faculty were pleased about the amount of resources and
commitment to the program. Because of its visibility,
there is a belief that the Diversity Initiative is
making an impact. Others noted that it was
positive the president was involved on down through
the ranks of the university as well
as through grassroots support. One person expressed
that the DiversityWeb site is
extraordinary and the Diversity Initiative is a
wonderful project. It was noted that the
Diversity Initiative generates good feelings, and
that the comprehensiveness of the
Diversity Initiative is impressive, but it is unclear
as to whether or not it is making an
impact because diversity is a complicated issue.
Again, some expressed and
acknowledged that the president and department chairs are making effort. Even
though the Diversity Initiative has experienced set backs, according to one
faculty member, the reflection and processing of these set backs results in
consistent and thorough adaptation to address the issues. Another faculty
member indicated that Diversity Week and the logo carry a great impact. It is
believed that the logo is a centralizing force. It was also stated that the
Diversity Initiative should be a source of campus pride.
Strong Leadership and a
Campus Value:
One faculty member believed there are about 20-25 people who were a
constant force with the Initiative. They are committed which has been a strong
leadership effort. This faculty member believed that students would have a hard
time avoiding the Diversity Initiative as there were many activities to choose
from. Another faculty member commented that the Diversity Initiative was
embedded into the culture of the college and was part of every day business.
The programs were often included in class assignments which helped with their
teaching. It was noted that the Diversity Initiative had become more inclusive
over the years. Overall, it was easier for faculty to do what they do since
diversity was a campus value. One faculty member indicated that the word
diversity was heard every minute on the campus.
Concerns
Is the Diversity Initiative
Too Trendy?:
One faculty member was concerned that the wider society sees the Diversity
Initiative as a trendy thing. It was expressed by a few faculty that it was
important for people to go to the programs and see that it was not about just
feeling good, but that there were real issues to be discussed. The challenge
was how
to get more students involved since they were so
busy. One faculty member believed a lot of people were giving lip service
rather than making real efforts in the Diversity Initiative.
More Involvement and Avoid
Being Too Safe:
Another faculty member indicated that there was a need for more grass-roots
bottom-up programs that come from smaller units. Some believed that
faculty can do more. Another believed that there is too much cynicism. The
Diversity Initiative needs more leadership and more people need to come to the
programs, according to this faculty member. A faculty member mentioned that we
need to avoid being too "safe" and not be afraid to address
substantial issues such as religion and spirituality. He also indicated that we
can not isolate ourselves to the education of the mind. "We must," he
goes on to say, "remember that students have a soul." Another faculty
member indicated that there were many groups which only have a small voice on
campus. The problem was that every group on campus wanted to be heard.
Institutionalize The Program
and Reward Faculty: Another faculty member noted the outstanding impact of the Diversity
Initiative, but he believed it to be only the first step. Diversity and
multiculturalism need to become part of the infrastructure of the institution
or it will continue to be relegated to being an outlier of the institution
according to this faculty member. It was suggested that the true test of the
Diversity Initiative was to take up a school catalogue and see, not only the
number of courses being taught about it, but a number of required core courses
in which issues of diversity and multiculturalism are a central part of the
curriculum. It was also believed that the Diversity Initiative is in its first
steps, but hopefully in five years it would be more and
Faculty Involvement in Diversity 10
students can say yes, in their courses they talk
about diversity, whether their courses were math or engineering or whatever.
Diversity and multiculturalism should be talked about in both the hard and soft
sciences, according to this person.
One faculty member stated
that it would be important for the institution to reward its faculty and students for setting forth diversity
programs that were part of curriculum and enhancement.
Diversity Initiative Appears
Fake: Another more cynical perspective shared was a belief that the Diversity Initiative was basically a poster
and the rest was fake. This person noted that the president and other
administrators were very vocal about diversity issues and were making an
enormous effort to try and improve things, but sometimes there was much more of
a concern for statistics than of actually making real change. To make this
place really diverse, according to this person, there was a lot more work to do
beyond African Americans. He said there were many groups that were still truly
underrepresented.
A faculty member, who
happened to be fairly new to campus, indicated that when he asked people about
what was the Diversity Initiative, the only thing he would get was publicity
about the diverse environment. He could not see what the real substance was
behind the Diversity Initiative other than individuals working hard for it.
These comments, both
constructive and congratulatory, were helpful for members of the Diversity
Initiative and the campus community at large to continue to address the complex
nature of educating about diversity at this university.
Faculty Involvement in Diversity 11
II. Suggestions For Next Steeps in The Campus
Diversity Effort
The faculty were also asked
to offer their opinions about what kind of steps the campus should take to
continue to build on current diversity efforts. The following selected themes
and suggestions came out of their answers to this question.
Discuss Issues: Continue discussion of
issues with high profile presenters campus-wide, and incorporate these
discussions within smaller campus units. There should be more emphasis placed
on discussions around gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues and also issues
surrounding persons with disabilities.
New Ideas: Keep the message fresh
rather than simply repeated from year to year. The approach should be broad and
sustained into the future. There should be collaboration with other related
programs on campus. Highlight model departments and focus efforts where a
difference can be made.
Faculty Involvement: Organize teams of
"aware" and committed faculty who have infused diversity issues into
their curriculum to serve as consultants. Provide incentives and rewards for
these faculty who are willing to provide this service to the campus community.
Build accountability into the infrastructure of the university by expecting all
faculty to provide inclusive teaching approaches.
Faculty/Staff Discussions
With Students:
Have sustained small group discussions with students, perhaps through the
campus advising effort. Faculty and staff need to be educated about the student
experience. Create opportunities for faculty and staff to listen to student
stories. All student voices need to be heard.
Support For Students: Students not only need to
be heard, but there needs to be a welcoming atmosphere on campus for all
students to feel supported. There should be adequate academic support for
students.
Recruitment: Hire more faculty of color
or faculty with expertise in diversity issues. There needs to be a strong
public relations effort of the university and what it has to offer to diverse
people. These recruitment efforts need to be done by other than minority
faculty who are already overworked as campus spokespersons.
Positive Outcomes from the Project
In a desire to bring faculty
together and to acknowledge the important diversity work that is currently
carried out on campus, the Diversity Initiative Evaluation Committee conferred
with the Faculty Relations Committee in order to determine new and innovative
ways to encourage and motivate more faculty to get involved with diversity
efforts. Upon completion of the faculty interview study, these two committees
collaborated with this goal in mind. The committees decided that a Faculty
Research Support Award for one academic year would be a way to acknowledge important
faculty diversity efforts, and it would also provide faculty release time from
one course for a semester in order to devote more energy into their diversity
work. Faculty were required to submit proposals to the committee to review for
a selection of one awardee.
This one time faculty award
is just a beginning step for this campus in initiating on-going efforts
to support and reward faculty for their extraordinary teaching, research, and
scholarship around diversity. As more funding becomes available, with the hope
of institutionalizing the funds, more and more faculty can be acknowledged and
encouraged.
In an effort to thank the
faculty participants from the evaluation project, the two committees invited
these faculty to a special breakfast. Another goal was to encourage these
faculty diversity experts to become more actively involved with the Campus
Diversity Initiative. The Faculty Research Support Award was also presented to
the group. The event proved to be an enjoyable and productive way to connect
these innovative faculty across disciplines. New ideas were generated and the
group was excited to continue to collaborate. They considered starting a
diversity consulting team to serve other faculty across campus, and they also
considered coming together in a separate retreat in order to continue sharing
ideas and learning from each other.
The feedback and suggestions
these faculty members offered represented their commitment to advancing
diversity education within and outside their respective arenas. Focusing on
intentional discussions with students, creating new and fresh ideas annually,
encouraging more faculty involvement across campus, providing further support
for all underrepresented groups, and displaying a commitment to the recruitment
of a diverse campus population were all useful and meaningful suggestions for
the campus to consider when planning next steps in promoting diversity.
The feedback that these
faculty members offered on the current state of the Campus Diversity Initiative
was both affirming and challenging. Ultimately focusing on student learning
both in and outside of the classroom seemed to be key. Moving beyond "lip-service"
and surface efforts are important for the university to move to higher levels
of diversity education and commitment. Noting how these faculty experts are
carrying
out their involvement in teaching, research, and
service around issues of diversity are useful examples for the campus to
acknowledge.
Through their own efforts,
these faculty model for other faculty how to engage in diversity education with
students. Specifically, the service these faculty members offer to students
goes above and beyond what a typical faculty member may be willing to do in
order to connect with students in a such a way that builds bridges across
difference. Specifically, taking time to enhance teaching and scholarship in
the area of diversity ultimately reaches students in the classroom and encourages
and empowers all students to stretch into their potential.
Buchan (1991) quotes David
Schoem, a professor at the University of Michigan, who also believes in
engaging with students in the classroom around diversity issues.
Students are hungry, no
starved for permission to talk about and study race relations and learn about
other groups ...Out of such discussions can come a better-informed
student body experienced in substantive dialogue with members of different
groups who may raise the level of discourse and understanding as our campuses
and society become increasingly diverse and continue to grapple with intergroup
conflict. (p. 66-67)
Not
only does discourse around issues of race and other diversity topics feed the
hungry student, but how students are taught impacts their learning. Some of the
faculty interviewed talked about their teaching methods that involve
collaboration in the classroom.
Tinto (1997) discusses how collaborative experiences provide useful lessons that a lecture does not. Collaborative learning teaches students "that their learning and that of
their peers are inexorably intertwined, and that,
regardless of race, class, gender, or background, their academic interests are
at bottom the same" (p. 4). Whether or not student academic interests are
similar or not, one thing is certain. The impact of learning from peers in the
classroom builds bridges across lines of difference that break down stereotypes
and myths while simultaneously allowing students to connect around a similar
academic interest.
The efforts that faculty can
offer in the classroom around issues of diversity serves to enhance any formal
diversity initiative the campus may be espousing, for this integrates the
curricular and co-curricular experience for students. Moving beyond level
one programming is an important goal to aspire toward. Learning from members
already succeeding within the campus community can serve to build on any campus-wide
diversity effort.
The role that faculty play
in promoting diversity education can only serve to enhance any current campus
diversity effort no matter how large or small. Bringing faculty together across
disciplines promotes a shared community effort that challenges how faculty
currently work, which is often times isolated in stand-alone disciplines
where energy is often directed inward rather than outward toward the building
of broader intellectual communities on campus (Tinto, 1997).
The faculty interviews ultimately provided one
campus a deeper perspective of how faculty view and perceive the campus
diversity efforts. The personal commitment that these faculty members carry-through
in their own diversity work adds credence and importance to their feedback and
suggestions. Although this study is limited to only one campus, the importance
of evaluating and assessing the impact of campus wide diversity
efforts through the eyes of faculty has proven to be immensely beneficial. Broadening research and assessment efforts to other campus Diversity Initiatives is necessary in order to add weight and significance to these findings. 'The research process, for this study, brought invested faculty together as consultants and collaborators for their campus. Continuing to find ways to reward faculty who make a commitment to diversity, education is necessary for any campus to fully embrace diversity education.
Brooks, L. and Gersh, T. (1998). Assessing the
impact of diversity initiatives using the retrospective pretest design. Journal
of College Student Development, 39 (4), 383-385.
Buchen, I.H. (1991). Cultural diversity manual.
Cleveland, OH: Info-Tec Inc.
Helm, E.G., Sedlacek, W.E. & Prieto, D.O.
(1998). The relationships between attitude toward diversity and overall
satisfaction of university students by race. Journal of College Counseling,
1, 111-120.
Sedlacek, W.E. (1995). Improving racial and
ethnic diversity and campus climate at four year independent Midwest colleges. Indianapolis,
IN, Lilly Endowment.
Tinto, V. (1997). Universities as learning
organizations. About Campus, January/February 1997, pp. 2-4.