The Benefits of Diversity in Higher Education
Vanessa David de Campos
June 30, 2014
Outline
I. Introduction
a. Thesis: Diversity in higher education, which is the inclusion and integration of minorities and marginalized groups, is important because it brings a variety of knowledge through the exposure of students to different perspectives, makes students prepared for working environments, and improves the country’s development.
II. The Problems with the Lack of Diversity on Higher Education in the United States
a. Comparison between the National Population Number of Minorities and the Number of People that Access Higher Education- Is it representative?
b. Problems When ...view middle of the document...
3 % American Indian. The population at Ivy League schools, which is the eight most privileged institutions of higher education in the U.S., does not represent the percentage of the country’s population that is, according to U.S. Census Bureau (2012), consisting of Hispanic or Latino 16.9 %, Black or African American 13.1%, and Native American 1.2%. These data show some disparities in the access to higher education. Some efforts such as affirmative action have been made to change this scenario. However, why is diversity important in higher education? What are the benefits of including minorities in colleges and universities to the society? The diverse groups that are part of society are underrepresented in higher education. There is a lack of diversity in colleges and universities in a country that is well- known for its democracy and racially and ethnically diverse population. Inequality in higher education is a possible factor in economic and social disparities in the country. Then, the presence of historically excluded groups is a fundamental issue to be discussed and solved by society, colleges, universities and business companies throughout their diversity programs. The intend of some initiatives is to guarantee the presence of minorities in higher education with the purpose of solving inequalities and receiving the benefits arising from these initiatives. Thus, the importance of diversity in colleges and universities is beyond the campuses and it brings benefits not only for individual students but also to society. Diversity in higher education, which is the inclusion and integration of minorities and marginalized groups, is important because it brings a variety of knowledge through the exposure of students to different perspectives, makes students prepared for working environments, and improves the country’s development.
The minorities of the society are underrepresented in the colleges and universities, and it is a problem because the country is not using the potential of large segment of the society. There are some studies comparing the number of minorities and marginalized groups that are in higher education with the number of others students. Swail (2003) points out that for African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians the educational accomplishment continues to be substantially lower than for whites and Asians. “In 2000, only 11 percent of Hispanics and 17 percent of blacks in the U.S. population age 25 and older had attained at least a bachelor´s degree, compared with 28 percent of whites…” (p. 7). The scenario for women is similar. They are under-represented among faculty and others types of institutions of higher education (Vetter, 1991). A study from the NCES (2013), National Center for Education Statistics, reports that although the immediate college enrollment rate increased between 1990 and 2012, the rates for “Whites was higher than that for Hispanics from 1994 through 2010. Additionally, the rate for Whites was...
