University of Cincinnati Program Aims to Increase Diversity in America’s Orchestras
Only 4 percent of the members of America's professional orchestra musicians are Black or Latino, according to the League of American Orchestras. A new fellows program at the University of Cincinnati, in conjunction with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, seeks to increase diversity in the field.
University of Oregon Responds to Black Student Protestor Demands
The University of Oregon has agreed to take action based on demands presented by student protestors in demonstrations held on campus in recent months. The university has agree to boost recruitment efforts, establish a Black residential community, and bring prominent Black scholars to campus.
New Report Examines Teacher Diversity in U.S. Schools
The percentage of African Americans in the elementary and secondary school teacher force actually declined from the 1987-88 school year to the 2011-12 school year at a time when the nation's schools became increasingly populated by students of color.
College of William and Mary Takes Steps to Enhance the Diversity of Its Faculty
The college also announced other efforts aimed at enhancing diversity and race relations on campus. This includes a proposal to name two residence halls in honor of African Americans, one a slave who was owned by the university and the other a long-time administrator.
University of California, San Diego Launches Black Academic Excellence Initiative
The goal of the initiative is to increase the number of Black students and faculty on campus and to make the campus environment more welcoming to African Americans. The latest Education Department data shows that Blacks make up just one percent of the undergraduate student body.
University of Cincinnati Launches New Fellowships for Minority Ph.D. Students
The University of Cincinnati has announced that it has created the Provost Graduate Fellowship that will provide financial aid for students from underrepresented minority groups in the university's graduate programs.
Johns Hopkins University Releases a Roadmap for Achieving Diversity and Inclusion
In releasing the draft plan, Ronald J. Daniels, president of Johns Hopkins University, stated that "diversity of thought, people, and experiences is central for the excellence of our work, and to our education, research, and service missions."
Michigan State Establishes an Anti-Bias Unit Within Its University Police Force
Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor, a 26-veteran of the police force, will lead the new anti-bias unit. It is believed to be one of the first such units among university police forces across the nation.
Indiana University Assesses Its Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
A diversity assessment was conducted by an independent consulting firm for Indiana University at Bloomington and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The report found that progress has been made but noted areas that need improvement.
University of Southern California Study Shows Extent of Black Invisibility in Entertainment
The report examines 109 major films and 305 television programs in 2014 that included more than 11,000 speaking characters. Some 22 percent of all these films or TV shows had no African American characters.
The Three Finalists for Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Connecticut
The three candidates for chief diversity officer are Lisa McBride of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Joelle Murchison, an executive at The Travelers Companies in Hartford, and Franklin A. Tuitt of the University of Denver.
University of California Aims to Increase Black Applicant Pool
The Achieve UC program targeted 12,000 students at high schools with large underrepresented minority student bodies with programs to guide them through the admission and financial aid processes. The program is being expanded this year to target 60,000 minority students.
Brandeis University to Offer New Diversity Scholarships to Graduate Students
Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, has announced the establishment of the Diversity, Excellence, and Inclusion Scholarships. Recipients will receive full-tuition credits and a $10,000 stipend for master's degree programs in the humanities, social sciences, and the arts.
Brown University’s Plan to Create a Diverse and Inclusive Campus Community
In releasing the report, Christina Paxson, president of Brown University, stated that “a diverse and inclusive academic community is foundational to every ambition we have as an institution of higher education."
University of Texas System Initiates a “Rooney Rule” For Senior-Level Hiring
The University of Texas System has instituted a new policy that requires search committees to have a minority candidate among the finalists for every senior level administrative post on campus. The new policy is modeled after the Rooney Rule in the National Football League.
Two Major Research Universities Join the Creating Connections Consortium
The Creating Connections Consortium seeks to increase the number of underrepresented minorities who are hired to tenure-track faculty positions. The University of Chicago and the University of Michigan are the consortium's newest members.
University Doubles Its Commitment to Minority Graduate Student Financial Aid
The Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst has announced a $600,000 annual investment to provide financial aid to graduate students from underrepresented minority groups.
College of Architecture at Texas A&M University Debuts Diversity Certificate Program
The certificate program requires students to take a minimum of nine hours of diversity-related courses and to complete four credit hours of independent projects or research.
Oregon State University Takes Steps to Promote Diversity, Equity, and Racial Justice
After student protests on the campus of Oregon State University in November, President Edward J. Ray has announced a series of measures to promote diversity, inclusion, and racial justice on campus.
University of Missouri Establishes Office for Civil Rights
The new office will centralize reports and investigations of all types of discrimination on the University of Missouri campus.
University of Cincinnati Commits $40 Million to Faculty Diversity Initiatives
Yet a new Black student group on campus recently held a protest claiming that the administration's efforts to diversify the faculty have gone too slow. The group stated that there were 75 Blacks out of a total of 2,800 faculty members on campus.
Wellesley College to Upgrade Its Black Student Center
Wellesley College in Massachusetts, announced plans to enhance and add to existing multicultural centers on campus including Harambee House that has served as a center for women students of African descent since 1970.
Johns Hopkins University Announces a Major New Faculty Diversity Initiative
In 2013, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reported that Blacks made up 4 percent of its total full-time faculty and 1.7 percent of its full professors. Now a new five-year, $25 million initiative has the goal of significantly improving those numbers.
Brown University Pledges $100 Million to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion Programs
Christina H. Paxson, president of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, recently released a draft report that outlines a concrete set of actions to promote diversity and inclusion and confront the issues of racism, power, privilege, inequity, and injustice.
Center for African Diaspora Student Success Opens at the University of California, Davis
The new center will offer on-site tutoring services, academic advising, and mental health counseling. It also will serve as a community gathering place for Black students.
George Lucas Gives $10 Million to the University of Southern California for Minority Scholarships
The University of Southern California in Los Angeles received a donation of $10 million from the George Lucas Family Foundation. The money will provide scholarships for students in the School of Cinematic Arts with preferences given to African American and Hispanic students.
University of Texas Introduces the “Rooney Rule” for High-Level Administrative Searches
William H. McRaven, chancellor of the University of Texas System is instituting a new rule for all administrative searches for deans and higher posts in the 14-campus system. At least one minority applicant must be included in the final pool of candidates for all high-level administrative positions.
How Anti-Affirmative Action Admissions Laws Impact Campus Diversity Efforts
The authors found a reluctance by administrators who are charged with diversity missions at universities prohibited from using race in admissions decisions to deal specifically with race in their efforts to create a more welcoming campus.
Yale University Earmarks $50 Million for Faculty Diversity Efforts
The Ivy League university will earmark $25 million over a five-year period for faculty recruitment, faculty appointments, and emerging faculty development. Participating schools at Yale will add an additional $25 million in matching funds.
The University of Montana’s “Six-Word Essays” on Race
Students in the School of Journalism at the University of Montana are asking all 47,000 students at the 16 state university campuses and seven tribal colleges to submit a six-word essay on the topic of race.
A Check-Up on the Racial Gap in Medical School Applications and Enrollments
In 2015, the number of Black applicants to U.S. medical schools was up a whopping 16.8 percent from 2014. Blacks were 7.6 percent of all medical school matriculants in 2015. This was up from 6.9 percent in 2014.
University of Delaware Allocates $1 Million as a First Installment for Diversity Initiatives
The University of Delaware, has announced the allocation of $1 million for diversity initiatives. The dean of the College of Arts and Sciences says that the allocation will be a recurring expense, not just a one-time expenditure.
Ohio University Aims to Boost Retention of Black and Minority Faculty Members
The Multicultural Junior Faculty Mentoring Program that will assign new junior faculty members from underrepresented groups a senior faculty member who will serve as a mentor.
Middlebury College Names New Intercultural Center After Two Early Black Alumni
The new Anderson Freeman Resource Center was named after Mary Annette Anderson, the valedictorian of the Class of 1889 and Martin Henry Freeman of the Class of 1849 who later became president of Liberia College.
University of Massachusetts Debuts New Diversity Website
The new website offers visitors a one-stop location for information on campus support systems, organizations, policies and procedures, and news relating to all university programs on diversity, equity and inclusion.
University of Missouri Announces Required Diversity Training After Racist Incidents
After two racial incidents on campus, the university's chancellor called for an end to hate and announced mandatory training for faculty, staff, and all incoming students.
