Misconception #4: Diversity programs benefit only students of color.

The chapter by Jeff Milem, "The Educational Benefits of Diversity: Evidence from Multiple Sectors" addresses the question put forth by Justice Powell in the Bakke decision, that a race-conscious policy is justified if it serves a "compelling goal" by examining a broad literature on diversity. The more traditional view of the role of the university is to enable participants to preserve, transmit and discover knowledge. If this knowledge is considered to be static and absolute, then diversity among the students to whom it is transmitted is unimportant. However, if the goal of transmitting this knowledge is perceived to be the creation of new knowledge, then diversity takes on new significance. In determining their diversity policies, both universities and the communities into which they send their students, must grapple with the following questions: To what extent can students receive a meaningful education that prepares them to participate in an increasingly diverse society if the student body and faculty are not diverse? To what extent will universities be able to address the issues that are central to diverse societies if they do not have adequate representation of that diversity?

This chapter illustrates how research from a variety of disciplines and perspectives that document the value of diversity in institutions of higher education can be used to enhance educational policy and practice. The framework for the discussion centers on looking at the benefits of diversity at the levels of the individual, the institution, and society. The following points summarize some of the benefits that a diverse student body brings to the entire university community and to the community beyond the university walls:

• Cross-racial interaction increases students’ acceptance of people from other cultures, their participation in community service activities and in other areas of civic participation, retention rates, overall satisfaction with college, intellectual and social self concepts, and their commitment to the goal of racial understanding.

• Literature on the effects of school desegregation in grades K-12 shows that participation in integrated school settings at a young age has a lasting impact that leads to later desegregation in college, social settings and careers. Among white adults who attended desegregated schools, desegregation has been found to reduce racial stereotyping and diminish fears of hostile interactions in interracial settings. Conversely, segregated schooling has been found to perpetuate itself among both whites and blacks in college and the work environment.

• Research done on diversity in the employment sector shows that effective management of diversity (gender, race, and age) enhances organizational performance by 1) attracting and attaining the best available talent, 2) strengthening marketing efforts, 3) bolstering creativity and innovation, 4) improving problem solving capacity, and 5) enhancing organizational flexibility. This evidence also indicates that diverse work teams promote creativity and innovation because of the great variation that exists in attitudes, beliefs, and cognitive functioning among people of different races, genders and ages.

• The greater representation of women and people of color in the faculty ranks has been shown to directly and indirectly shape the organizational climates of the institutions in which these faculty members are working. Women faculty and faculty of color are more likely to use student-centered approaches and active learning methods in the classroom, to include the perspectives of racial and ethnic minorities in the curriculum, and to be more actively engaged in conducting research on issues of race and gender. Student-oriented university climates, more than almost any other environmental variable, have been found to produce more positive student outcomes.

• There is extensive evidence that points to the fact that minority physicians of all subspecialties are significantly more likely than non-minority physicians to practice in under-served areas and to treat Medicaid patients. The increase in the number of minority physicians that occurred with the advent of affirmative action programs in medical schools has, therefore, substantially improved minority populations’ access to health care.