Inequities in Higher Education: Issues and Promising Practices in a World Ambivalent about Affirmative ActionNiemann, Yolanda Flores; Maruyama, Geoffrey
doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00414.xpmid: N/A
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the legality of race‐based affirmative action at universities in 2003. Although the decisions affirmed the legality of considering race in college admissions decisions, their long‐term effects are not entirely clear. They neither resolved conflicts nor solved problems affirmative action was intended to address, namely, disparities in educational outcomes between Whites and ethnic/racial minorities. Although disparities have diminished since 1965, policies and practices to sustain and further increase diversity in higher education without affirmative action are needed. This article provides historical and conceptual grounding for this JSI issue, which examines approaches for attaining campus diversity. Collectively, the issue provides approaches for increasing diversity as well as strategies for managing and benefiting from diversity in postsecondary environments.
The Role of Pre‐collegiate Partnership Programs in Environments Ambivalent about Affirmative Action: Reflections and Outcomes from an Early ImplementationMaruyama, Geoffrey; Burke, Maggie; Mariani, Carlos
doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00415.xpmid: N/A
Preparing underrepresented students for college success though pre‐collegiate partnership programs is one alternative to affirmative action programs. This article describes the Multicultural Excellence Program (MEP), a partnership program between an urban school district and 22 four‐year higher education institutions. MEP, begun in 1987, targets 7th–12th‐grade students from groups historically underrepresented in higher education. It helps them plan how to prepare themselves for continuing on to a four‐year college. Analyses evaluating program effectiveness examined outcomes of over 4,000 secondary students and 243 college students. Despite substantial turnover, particularly at transition points, MEP has been very successful in enrolling its high school graduates immediately in four‐year colleges. Although many MEP students have thrived in college, a smaller proportion has struggled.
Mentoring in a Post‐Affirmative Action WorldGirves, Jean E.; Zepeda, Yolanda; Gwathmey, Judith K.
doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00416.xpmid: N/A
Mentoring can be an effective strategy in improving retention of college students and faculty from fields where historical underrepresentation has occurred. This article reviews the benefits of mentoring in higher education, and identifies components of effective mentoring strategies that promote educational and career advancement. It illustrates how effective programs can be institutionalized and scaled through consortial and national collaborations. Traditional and alternative mentoring models are described through four successful programs designed to increase the academic and professional success of undergraduates, graduate students, and junior faculty. The article concludes with a set of general recommendations and caveats gleaned from the literature and programs reviewed.
Getting There is Only Half the Battle: Stigma Consciousness and Maintaining Diversity in Higher EducationPinel, Elizabeth C.; Warner, Leah R.; Chua, Poh‐Pheng
doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00417.xpmid: N/A
Increases in stigma consciousness since arriving at a primarily White college could predict the college performance and self‐esteem of the academically stigmatized. After reviewing relevant research, the authors report on a study in which 44 stigmatized (African Americans and Latinos/Latinas) and 79 nonstigmatized (Whites and Asian Americans) students completed measures of stigma consciousness, GPA, disengagement from academics, and self‐esteem. Among stigmatized males, increases in stigma consciousness predicted lower GPAs and greater disengagement. Although stigmatized females had low GPAs regardless of their increases in stigma consciousness, with increases in stigma consciousness came less disengagement from school and lower self‐esteem. The discussion offers suggestions for how to minimize these negative effects of heightened stigma consciousness levels.
Affirmative Action and Job Satisfaction: Understanding Underlying ProcessesNiemann, Yolanda Flores; Dovidio, John F.
doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00418.xpmid: N/A
In the present article, we examine the relationship between perceptions of affirmative action and the satisfaction of racial and ethnic minority faculty members. We develop a conceptual model of factors that mediate the impact of affirmative action on the satisfaction of faculty of color, and investigate this model based on survey responses of 84 African‐American, 48 Latina/o, and 59 Asian faculty. Analyses showed that the satisfaction of faculty of color is significantly related to how affirmative action is perceived to be embraced by the community, and that this effect is mediated by how supportive colleagues are seen and how much self‐doubt faculty experience. Data also indicated the important role of mentoring for supporting the goals of affirmative action.
Understanding the Relationship Between Egalitarianism and Affective Bias: Avenues to Reducing Prejudice Among AdolescentsRabinowitz, Joshua L.; Wittig, Michele A.; Von Braun, Malte; Franke, Roman; Zander‐Music, Lysann
doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00419.xpmid: N/A
In an era during which affirmative action in education is in jeopardy, it is important to understand how the ideologies of high‐status ethnic group members maintain (or reduce) social inequality. We examine the extent to which the relationship between egalitarianism and prejudice among European American and Asian American adolescents can be explained by outgroup orientation (i.e., how much one values interacting with members of other ethnic groups) and strength of identification with one's ethnic group. Using structural equation modeling, we tested whether these two variables mediate the relationship between egalitarianism and intergroup prejudice. Results revealed that outgroup orientation was a mediator, but ethnic identity was not. Implications for mutual acculturation theory, prejudice‐reduction programs, and affirmative action in education are discussed.
Bar None: Extending Affirmative Action to Higher Education in PrisonTorre, María Elena; Fine, Michelle
doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00421.xpmid: N/A
Recognizing the intent of Affirmative Action to include historically marginalized citizens into institutions of higher learning, we stretch the limits of Affirmative Action to consider the role of higher education in prison. We present empirical findings of a 4‐year, qualitative and quantitative participatory action research study of the impact of college in prison. Evidence is drawn from participant observations; individual and focus group interviews with participants of the college program, former inmates, prison administrators, corrections officers, and children of inmates; faculty surveys; and a quantitative analysis of recidivism rates. We address the psychological, academic, and crime‐related impacts of higher education on women in prison, and document the benefits of broad‐based access for inmates, prison environments, children of prisoners, and society‐at‐large.
The Next Generation of Diversity and Intergroup Relations ResearchHurtado, Sylvia
doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00422.xpmid: N/A
Recent court decisions and cultural shifts have led to a new focus for work on equity and equality of outcomes in educational settings. This article reviews the contributions of recent diversity studies and then focuses on a longitudinal study of 4,403 college students attending nine public universities. Results show that student interaction with diverse peers during college results in changes in student cognitive, social, and democratic outcomes by the second year of college. Campus efforts to provide opportunities for students to learn about diverse groups inside and outside the classroom have an appreciable impact on students.