Strategic Action Plan on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

I.         A Compelling Rationale for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education 

Researchers offer compelling evidence on the multiple ways in which diversity enriches the education experience through the benefits it provides to the individual, to institutions, and to our society and the world (Astone and Nuñez-Womack 1990; Bollinger 1997; Duster 1993, Hurtado 2007; and Smith et al. 1997).   

At the individual level, diversity benefits a student’s growth and development in the cognitive, affective, and interpersonal domains (Milem 2003).  Pascarella and colleagues (1996 and 1991, cited in Chang et al., 2003) found that students who interact with individuals from diverse backgrounds and/or participate in racial and cultural diversity awareness venues showed greater gains in their critical thinking, active thinking, and openness after controlling in the statistical analysis for pre-college engagement with racial/cultural diversity.   

Gurin (1999) found higher levels of intellectual engagement and motivation on the part of students who have had greater exposure to diversity.  Gurin’s analyses reveal the positive impact of diversity on both Caucasian students as well as students of color.  For students of color to benefit greatly from diversity, they must have involvement with diverse peers and interaction with peers belonging to their own ethnic/racial group.   

Diversity benefits colleges and universities by strengthening their mission, specifically as diversity relates to teaching, services, and research.  Increased diversity has a transformative influence on institutions of higher education and enriches the co-curricular learning and teaching environments (Howell et al. 2003; Milem et al. 2003; Hurtado et al. 1999; Chang 1999a; and Smith et al. 1997). 

MacPhee and colleagues (1994, cited in Chang et al., 2003) found that curricular and pedagogical transformations that infuse diversity and ways of knowing have a positive effect on students, including:

• demonstrated acquisition of critical thinking skills;
• declines in levels of ethnocentrism; and
• differentiating among biases and social, historical, economic, and political factors affecting some groups in our society.

Campus diversity correlates with a positive campus climate and students’ satisfaction with their college education (Milem 2003).  Moreover, a campus climate that is welcoming and supportive of diversity influences the learning process and positively contributes to students’ involvement and citizenship (Astin, 1993, Gurin et al. 1999; Hurtado et al., 1998; and Smith et al., 1997).  In addition to campus climate, researchers found faculty diversity to be a predictor of active learning pedagogy, which provides opportunities for interaction with peers from different backgrounds by engaging in class discussions, collaborative learning methods, and group projects (Hurtado, S. 2003; and Milem, 2000).   

In addition to the individual and the institutional benefits of diversity, society also gains from a diverse, educated citizenry.  In a competitive global economy, leaders in the private and public sectors expect employees to have cross-cultural competencies that enable them to serve and work with people who are culturally diverse and sometimes think differently than themselves.  To prepare students to fit into the new expectations of the job market, colleges and universities must find means to engage students across diverse communities in co-curricular experiences (Bikson and Law 1994, cited in Chang et al., 2003).  Research evidence suggests that diverse groups yield better outcomes than within homogenous groups.  For example, McLeod and Colleagues (1993 and cited in Chang et al., 2003) found in their research that a racially diverse group (Asians, African Americans, Latinos, and Whites) generated the same quantity of ideas but of higher quality than a homogeneous group.  Nemeth (1986, cited in Chang et al., 2003) found that the viewpoints of racial and ethnic AALANA individuals stimulated ideas and actions in working groups that had not been considered previously.  Heterogeneous groups are enriched by the diversity of “lenses” to address an issue or stimulate the thinking process. 

The Association of American Colleges and Universities commissioned a Survey of Business Leaders (November/December 2006).  The following are the main essential learning outcomes identified as being of great importance to employers:

Table II - Essential Learning Outcomes Identified by Business Leaders  

Intellectual and Practical Skills                      Percentage

Teamwork skills in diverse groups                     76%

Critical thinking and analytic reasoning             73%

Written and oral communication                         73%

Information literacy                                               70%

Creativity and innovation                                     70%

Complex problem solving                                    64%

Quantitative reasoning                                         60% 

Personal and Social Responsibility

Intercultural competence                                      76%

Intercultural knowledge                                         72%

Ethics and values                                                  56%

Cultural values/traditions (U.S./global)                53% 

Integrative Learning

Applied knowledge in real-world settings           73% 

Knowledge of Human Cultures and
the Physical and Natural World

Science and Technology                                     82%

Global issues                                                        72%

The role of the U.S. in the world                          60%

Cultural values and traditions (U.S./global)        53% 

Employers’ expectations challenge colleges and universities to prepare individuals to compete in job markets where discipline-based knowledge and skills are no longer sufficient to be successful leaders and/or professionals.  

Another major challenge facing higher education is to prepare women and men to lead and work in a time when many western countries, including the United States, are undergoing a demographic transition.   

Higher education plays a central role in ensuring that all graduates are prepared to live and work in a society where one out of three Americans will be a member of a racial/ethnic minority and most of the growth in new jobs will require a college degree (Hurtado, S. 2003, Page i).

Finally, the positive benefits of diversity in higher education have been endorsed by over 60 national education associations including, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, American Association of University Administrators, the Association of American Law Schools, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Association of University Professors, the Council of Graduate Schools, the Educational Testing Service, the National Association of State Universities, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the College Board (University of Connecticut 2002).

II.         Statement of Values   

The College at Oneonta endorses the following Statement of Values: 

We hold ourselves to the highest standard of integrity, recognizing our common purpose in creating a truly diverse campus community that respects and values each and every member.   

We support open, yet responsible communication among all members of the campus community.  Honest inquiry and dialogue, when rooted in civility, will generate greater appreciation and understanding for our individual and group differences.  We affirm that our many differences are also our greatest strengths as a community, that we are all enriched by learning from each other’s life experiences, backgrounds, and cultural perspectives.  Just as we affirm the worth and dignity of every member of our campus community, so, too, do we support an inclusive environment for learning and working.   

We recognize that an exemplary education includes the study of diverse points of view that reflect our increasingly pluralistic society.  We recognize that such learning, including the exchange of ideas and learning opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom, will thrive if free from intimidation, bias, prejudice, and discrimination.  Finally, we constitute a campus community whose members embody and promote the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

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