The Challenge of Diversity

Changing a Campus Climate for Minorities and Women

“…This finding is consistent with researchers who suggested that understanding, support, and encouragement from institutional leaders (president, vice presidents, deans and department chairs) are crucial in order to successfully create an equitable and supportive campus climate for women and minorities (Shavlik & Touchton, 1992;Moses, 1990). In addition, this understanding and support must be openly and vigorously expressed by institutional leaders, and it should be coupled with assigned accountability responsibility (Elman, 1991).…”

“…Unfortunately, not much has actually been done to address their concerns and issues. Consequently, both internal and external pressures in higher education continue to demand that colleges and universities redefine their values and transform their campus environments (Moses, 1990). While institutions now recognize the political necessity of bringing more underrepresented groups to campus, most have not yet determined the subsequent steps that are needed to create a climate that is supportive of these groups (Elman, 1991).…”

“…While institutions now recognize the political necessity of bringing more underrepresented groups to campus, most have not yet determined the subsequent steps that are needed to create a climate that is supportive of these groups (Elman, 1991). In short, women and minority groups still contend that the "campus climate," influenced by race and gender stereotypes, is the greatest impediment to their growth and success in higher education (Moses, 1990).…”

“…That is, college and university communities must come together with questions, thoughts and discussion regarding the barriers that women and minorities face to develop a better understanding and new communications that will enhance opportunities for everyone. Similarly, Moses (1990) proposed using an anthropological perspective, especially a focus of culture as both process and product, for a better understanding of how to achieve cultural diversity in the university. The charges suggested by these authors would require higher education leaders to focus attention to the human/social subsystem as a means of influencing organizational change regarding the challenges of diversity.…”

Communication in an academic context

“…It seems that individualism is a flexible pattern through one that has an elective affinity for the evermore variegated nature of academic work, that is, it may cause to legitimate and rationalize so much variety, at the same time to operate as a shared perspective. In sum, although faculty members go down different disciplinary paths, they belong to the academic profession, and also academic systems are increasingly pluralistic in the production of patterns of thought and in the precise definitions of proper behaviors (Becher 1994;Becher and Trowler 2001;Moses 1990).…”