Inside Higher Ed: Dueling over diversity
As the U.S. population grows increasingly brown, it is difficult to find a college official who isn’t firmly in favor of striving for a diverse faculty. But for leaders of institutions, figuring out exactly how to get the mix right — promoting the interests of minority students and faculty members without alientating what on most campuses is the overwhelming white majority — isn’t always easy, as recent events at New Mexico Highlands University illustrate.
In 2003, the Highlands Board of Regents adopted a broad strategic plan with a priority of transforming the university into “the nation’s premier Hispanic-serving institution.” The plan called for the university to grow a “highly qualified diverse faculty;” “improve full-time/part-time faculty ratios and retain [a] high percentage of terminal degree tenure-track faculty;” and “recruit and retain faculty with demonstrated competencies for high productivity and outstanding performance.”
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