It is not unusual for colleges and universities to have aggressive diversity recruitment programs in place when it comes to students and faculty. After all, a blanket priority for schools is to have student and faculty populations that are as varied as possible.
Pardon my cynicism here, but who exactly do these recruitment programs really benefit? Successful recruitment in this regard creates a visual diversity that looks good on college brochures and websites, but it is only skin-deep. A recent episode of Modern Family referenced this visual diversity when oldest Dunphy daughter Haley made the following observation about a community college mailer she received:
“At least this one doesn’t have that fakie lunchtime shot of the Black guy, Asian girl and an Indian … oh, wait; there it is! Wow; that wheelchair kid is really cracking everybody up.”
It got a laugh from me and millions of other viewers who have seen this all too often in college recruitment. If a school can convince potential students that there are others already there, just like them, then enrollment numbers rise—along with revenue. While that may improve bottom line and freshman diversity, long-term retention and student success programs are often not considered. Who is on hand to give these marginalized, trophy students support when the reality of college demands sets in?
Not Just Students
While diversity of the student population gets a lot of press, this is not the only group universities target for variety. Increasingly, colleges are seeking out minority faculty members that fit certain criteria and are meant to dispel the myth that professors are usually “old, white guys.” It’s a slow go, however. While 30 percent of the undergraduate population is considered minority students, only 12 percent of faculty are in the minority category.
