Diversity Matters in U.S. Higher Education

Issue Briefs: Diversity Matters in U.S. Higher Education

As part of its continuing commitment to access, equity, and diversity in higher education, the American Council on Education is pleased to launch the Diversity Matters in U.S. Higher Education issue brief series. The goal of this series is to provide campus leaders with timely, cutting-edge, and actionable information they can share with the members of their campus community on a broad range of topics revolving around diversity and inclusion in U.S. higher education.

The inaugural brief, The Education Gap: Understanding African American and Hispanic Attainment Disparities in Higher Education, explores some of the critical factors associated with postsecondary attainment disparities for African American and Hispanic students.

The second brief in the series, Raising Voices, Lifting Leaders: Empowering Asian Pacific Islander American Leadership in Higher Education, was created to bring national attention to the scarcity of Asian Pacific Islander American leaders in higher education, highlight the barriers to Asian Pacific Islander American leadership, and present a call to action for increasing representation by the Asian Pacific Islander American community in higher education leadership positions.

With Degree in Hand: Analysis of Racial Minority Graduates and Their Lives After College, the third brief, explores the postgraduate employment and educational experiences of new college graduates across racial/ethnic lines in terms of their demographic and education characteristics, early labor market outcomes, and post-baccalaureate education enrollment approximately one year after graduation.

The final brief in the series, A Matter of Excellence: A Guide to Strategic Diversity Leadership and Accountability in Higher Education, focuses on leading diversity-themed change in an intentional manner. It provides a framework for strategic leadership on diversity issues in academe, challenging the higher education community to face the imperatives of a new reality in which diversity is no longer simply a question of moral and social responsibility, but a matter of achieving excellence and gaining competitive advantages in the world we live in today.

For more information, contact InclusiveExcellence@acenet.edu or call 202-939-9390.

Article provided by American Council on Education and SASFAA's Global Issues' Committee, Stacy Walker, Chair. Please visit http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/Diversity-Issue-Briefs.aspx for more information.