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Bard College
Diversity Report
Spring 2003
Diversity and Inclusion Board, Bard College
Table of Contents
FOREWORD
Bard's commitment to liberal learning has been founded on a principle of respect for the open and critical exchange of ideas. Freedom of expression and the requisite tolerance that the exercise of that freedom demands are at the heart of Bard's purpose and character. In order to sustain a significant and serious exchange of ideas and foster authentically innovative and courageous inquiry, membership in the college community cannot be limited to any single group. Membership must be defined by the criteria of motivation and merit. As the nation and its courts debate the future of affirmative action, it is well to remember that the charges against affirmative action—the notion that objective standards of merit have been sacrificed for diversity—are misleading. Only if one reduces the definition of merit to a simplistic measure and makes it the basis for admission can one claim that some factor other than so-called academic quality has been taken into consideration. The fact remains that academic merit is more than a single test score. So too is the substance of such words as excellence, originality, talent, and quality. This is not to say that one cannot frame a useful and reasonable definition of academic standards. Indeed, valid standards of excellence are not in conflict with the pursuit of diversity. Quite to the contrary.
In the 21st century, for an institution of learning to successfully engage the highest level of quality in research and teaching within the humanities, social sciences, the arts and the sciences, the full range of individual and cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity must be represented in the community of discourse and inquiry in order to prevent academic parochialism. The pursuit of diversity in the name of excellence and the highest academic standards is essential, but not particularly easy for an institution whose primary location is in a rural setting nearly a hundred miles from a major metropolis. Bard's first venture toward achieving the necessary diversity in its community came in 1944 when it admitted women and broke away from Columbia University.
Starting in the late 1960s under the leadership of the late Dean Carl Selinger and President Reamer Kline, the college expanded access to the ranks of its students and faculty. During the past quarter of a century, the college has worked assiduously to compensate for its natural disadvantages vis a vis diversity - its small size, undergraduate character, and location. We are proud of the progress the college has made, particularly in the area of the recruitment of international students and the diversification of its faculty.
This report is the product of a long process. The data in it will, over the course of time, be updated as the college continues to make further progress. It should be noted that in addition to Bard's efforts on the Annandale campus, the college is engaged in the Bard High School Early College, the Clemente Program, the Prison Initiative, Smolny College, programs in China and South Africa, and the Human Rights Initiative. These programs help create a larger institution whose nature is defined by a wide diversity.
Diversity at Bard underscores that which we share as human beings in common and a commitment to shared principles of ethics and epistemology. In the end, as an institution that derives from the European and American traditions of inquiry and learning, despite welcome challenges that emerge periodically from methodological and philosophical speculations, Bard retains a commitment to the pursuit of truth, inclusive of skepticism, criticism, and revision. Likewise we celebrate a code of tolerance, civility, and mutual respect without which the pursuit of knowledge and the acts of teaching and learning cannot flourish.
Leon Botstein, President of Bard College
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PREFACE
"When terrorists used airplanes as missiles to hit at the heart of America, we saw hatred, but it was not a new hatred. It was the same hatred that built ovens in Auschwitz, that hung strange fruit from southern trees, that bombed schoolchildren and made classmates shoot other classmates, that justified ethnic cleansing, apartheid, the enslavement of human beings, and, now, discrimination against people who are Islamic or Middle Eastern. We have an opportunity to declare war on this hatred."
—Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie
The immediate response to the events of September 11th was a call for unity — a sharing of our grief, trauma, and loss, as well as a joining of diverse peoples throughout the United States and beyond. However, since then, Muslims and Arabs, as well as those perceived to be Muslim or Arab, have been victims of hate crimes, and their civil liberties have been threatened. And while our attention may be turned toward international conflict, we must not forget that the situation for people of color remains contentious — even in our institutions of higher education.
Over the years, Bard College has taken active steps to ensure that conversations and education around issues of diversity — those of race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, disability, religion, and culture — are fostered and protected. This must continue so that forums for resolution exist even before hate manifests itself. The Bard College Diversity Report provides a history of diversity at Bard, an account of the current state of affairs, and suggestions to ensure that community members experience a campus climate that tolerates the many constructs of identity that have become part of the Bard community.
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INTRODUCTION
The Office of Multicultural Affairs
The position of Assistant/Associate Dean of Students/Director of Multicultural Affairs was created in September 1997 to help identify needs of students of color, promote awareness of multicultural issues among faculty, staff, and students, and assist the College in developing innovative strategies to ensure that diversity is maintained throughout the Bard community. In July 1998, the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) was established to assist the College community in the creation of an environment that demonstrates a commitment to diversity and inclusion. The work of the OMA supports all students, and especially students of color, through educational, social, and community programs and services that address unique needs. These programs are designed to help the members of the campus community explore the complexities of diversity and understand its place in their personal and academic lives.
In 1999, the College was awarded a Pluralism and Unity Grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. This grant further supported and strengthened campus-wide diversity efforts, such as:
- Facilitating campus-wide discussions and town meetings.
Sponsoring and supporting student/staff-initiated speakers such as: Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., a former member of the College's Board of Trustees, and Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, a Harlem minister.
Hosting bi-monthly dinner/discussion groups for male and female students of color.
Establishing, training, and advising the Bard Diversity Awareness Peers, a student group whose mission is to promote campus dialogue about issues of difference, prejudice, privilege and discrimination, and to serve as a resource to the campus community.
Supporting student and staff participation in diversity conferences, including: the Association of American Colleges and Universities Diversity and Learning Conference and the Workgroup Conference on the Success and Satisfaction of Black and Latino Male Students.
- Sponsoring the continuation of an annual four-week summer enrichment program established by the Bard Big Brother/Big Sister Program in the early 1990s, for underprivileged elementary school students in Hudson, New York.
Diversity and Inclusion Board1
Established in October 1999 and chaired by the Director of Multicultural Affairs, this board was initially charged with developing a College statement of commitment to diversity and a plan for building cohesion and respecting difference in our community. The initial goals were:
- To provide a multi-faceted approach to address issues of diversity through campus-wide structures, small student discussion groups, faculty/student seminars, and community partnerships.
To operate as a programmatic extension of Bard's rich history of responding to issues of social justice and national/international struggles for freedom, and encouraging student activism.
- To serve as an internally created structure, offering collaborative programs and reward systems, which centralizes a disparate array of diversity strategies.
The Board spent the first year reviewing literature about the subject of diversity, researching effective practices at other institutions, defining diversity and inclusion, discussing short-term and long-term goals, and creating the following Statement of Commitment to Diversity:
Bard College reaffirms its historical commitment to the maintenance of an educational community in which diversity is an essential and valued component. To that end, we believe that considerations of race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexual orientation, gender, class, physical ability, national origin, and age should enrich intellectual engagement and development. In every aspect of the College's operations, therefore — in admissions, in student services, in faculty and staff appointments, in student life, in public events, and in the curriculum — our responsibility to diversity must be expressed. Our students, faculty, staff, and administration stand united in support of an inclusive environment in which freedom of expression is balanced with a respectful standard of dialogue. We are committed to providing opportunities for the personal and intellectual exploration of diversity as an important aspect of the educational experience.
Background
Some background understanding of the importance of diversity at Bard is essential. In the content of the curriculum, in the composition of its student body, and in the make-up of its faculty, the College has placed a premium on recognizing a multiplicity of learning paths, student profiles, and instructional personnel.
The program of study has long emphasized diversity in the curriculum. In 1929, St. Stephen's College — a 64-year-old, all-male, Episcopal pre-seminary — chose to affiliate with Columbia University in New York, a leading institution of higher learning in the United States and the chief proponent/exponent of the emergent progressive model of education. Five years later, with the introduction of the Tewksbury Educational Program for Bard under the deanship of Dr. Donald Tewksbury, former assistant professor of education at Teachers' College, Columbia University, this theory of learning would have a direct influence on Bard College (the name that St. Stephen's acquired in 1933). The curricular innovations at this time, of which the Moderation and the Senior Project are examples, placed "individual abilities, interests and purposes" at the center of the undergraduate program. The Tewksbury Plan also included an expanded focus on the arts, now viewed as an important wellspring of individual expression and creativity for students.
Even in the establishment of common core requirements, an appreciation for idiosyncratic learning and multicultural contributions to contemporary knowledge have been maintained at Bard. The Common Course, developed by Professor Heinrich Bluecher in 1953, contained as one of three content areas considerations for "each student, his [or her] own personality, the analysis and evaluation of his [or her] own experiences, expectations, inclinations and abilities." The first-year seminar, introduced under the current president, Leon Botstein, continues to undergo reconfigurations in order to accommodate the great works of varied civilizations throughout the world and an expanded notion of seminal or canonical texts.
Within the past quarter century, among the widened range of academic concentrations made available to Bard undergraduates, several topically focused programs provide for scholarly investigations of social, political, and geographic categories of diversity. The Multi-Ethnic Studies program, the Jewish Studies program, the Africa and African Diaspora Studies program, and the Latin American and Iberian Studies are illustrative of this recent turn toward diversity-oriented academic planning at Bard. The Multi-Ethnic Studies program, for example, affords students the opportunity to explore two socially constructed categories of diversity—race and ethnicity. Students choosing this concentration are guided in an analysis of the multiple meanings assigned to these categories dependent upon context as they come into being and across time. This program, which emerged in the curriculum during the early 1990s, typically appeals to students concerned with the historical and contemporary experience of U.S. minorities, although it also accommodates those interested in ethnic minorities in various international contexts. In addition, Bard supports programs and projects such as the Human Rights Project, Human Rights Exchange, and Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program (BGIA).
Changes in the composition of the student body have kept pace with changes in the curriculum. To begin with, the Tewksbury Plan made it possible for Bard to attract a wide range of creative students. Then, as a result of declining enrollments during World War II, Bard began admitting women—a step that required it to sever its relationship with Columbia University. At present, women make up more than half of the student body.
After the Columbia University merger, faculty additions increasingly came to reflect the college's vision of an inclusive and open learning environment. During the 1930s, Bard welcomed to its faculty ranks many European intellectuals, including refugees from oppressive fascist regimes and Nazism. In the years following World War II, a wide array of distinguished writers provided diverse creative energies to literature and writing instruction at the College. In the 1950s and 1960s, this roster included such noted American authors as Saul Bellow, Ralph Ellison, Mary McCarthy, and Toni Morrison. As a result of a renewed effort put forth in the late 1980s to continue Bard's history of receiving politically dissident international intellectuals, Bard now boasts among its ranks world renowned Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, and the Romanian, MacArthur Prize recipient, Norman Manea.
Throughout its history, Bard College has sought to support students and families who are unable to pay college tuition. Committed to assisting as many qualified students as possible, Bard offers over $12 million in financial aid to approximately two-thirds of its students. Over $2 million supports international students. In fall 2001, 61.8% of the student body received institutional financial aid.
One example of financial aid is the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), a New York state program through which students from historically economically disadvantaged groups gain the opportunity to study at Bard. The establishment of HEOP in the 1970s raised the number of domestic minority students at Bard. The national and international geographic origin of Bard's population has stretched past the northeastern U.S. due to special admissions efforts and recruitment incentives since the early 1980s.
Recently, the College has successfully launched an initiative to attract college-age, first-generation descendants of recent immigrants to the U.S. through the New Generations Scholarship. Bard College offers full-need scholarships to approximately 20 students each year who were born abroad or born in the United States to immigrant parents and who demonstrate intellectual curiosity and a commitment to academic excellence.
In June 2001, Bard College and the New York City Board of Education collaborated on a bold initiative and jointly created the Bard High School Early College (BHSEC). This innovative alternative to the traditional high school enables highly motivated students to move in four years from ninth grade through the first two years of college, earning the associate of arts (A.A.) degree as well as a high school diploma. The school opened in September 2001, with 253 students, 76% minority, from all five boroughs. More than 140 of the students are African—American and Latino; many are first generation, non-native speakers of English. The student body will remain diverse in economic and racial/ethnic background. BHSEC students will be prepared to continue their higher education by using primary source materials and experimental data for research, equipping students with the analytical skills needed to pursue their intellectual and artistic passions.
As the new century unfolds, Bard College enthusiastically affirms its multi-faceted commitment to diversity in education.
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FINDINGS
Data Collection
Impetus for Report
In September 2000, Angela Oh, an attorney and a member of President Clinton's Advisory Board to the President's Initiative on Race, was featured at an event to introduce the Diversity and Inclusion Board (DIB) to the College community and to lecture Diversity in the 21st Century: Impacts on the Bard Community. Ms. Oh discussed race in both historical and present contexts, shared her personal experiences with racism, and charged institutions of higher learning to be at the forefront of racial progress, reconciliation, and leadership.
That fall, the DIB began a study of perspectives, strengths, and challenges of the Bard community concerning diversity and inclusion issues and to make recommendations for improvement.
Methodology
After researching the methodologies of similar studies at other institutions such as California State University, San Bernardino; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Missouri-Columbia; California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; and Illinois Wesleyan University, the DIB decided to canvass students, faculty, and staff to identify those aspects of campus culture that might contribute to feelings of exclusion and discomfort among a broad range of minority populations. Because a study on diversity had not been conducted previously at Bard, a qualitative exploratory approach 2 was used to gather information and strategies were devised to ensure maximum participation. The qualitative method3 required the use of small focus groups, or guided discussions, in addition to surveys that included open-ended questions.
By interviewing constituencies across campus, discussion was encouraged about the impact of diversity on the relevant department, organization, division, or individual. This process both engaged the campus community in a conversation about diversity and allowed for the gathering of data for the report.
Questions were developed through DIB discussions of other campus climate studies. Talking points covered three main areas:
- What are your general impressions of diversity at Bard?
What is the role of your division/department/group in maintaining the institution's commitment to diversity?
- What things would you want the college to change, implement, or improve to better advance diversity and address racial, ethnic, and gender relations on campus?
The facilitator(s) of each discussion took notes and coded the responses into the following categories:
- Faculty, student, and staff composition: affirmative action, recruitment, retention, and financial aid
Perceptions and philosophies of diversity at Bard: personal perspectives, and experiences
Academic life: curriculum, courses, advising, and pedagogy
Social life: residential experiences, activities, and community interaction
- Diversity policies: structures and practices
Faculty
The faculty was grouped by academic division: Arts, Languages & Literature, Natural Sciences & Mathematics, and Social Studies. A description of the study was provided during divisional meetings; each division was invited to meet with a representative from the DIB or to complete a survey. The Arts and the Natural Sciences and Mathematics divisions completed surveys. The Languages & Literature and the Social Studies divisions attended lunch and dinner discussion groups. Participation was as follows: Arts — 9 out of 87 (10%), Natural Sciences & Mathematics — 9 out of 17 (53%), Languages & Literature — 13 out of 48 (27%), and Social Studies — 12 out of the 62 (19%).
Staff and Administration 4
DIB members contacted all program directors to schedule interviews. Directors were asked to invite appropriate staff to the interviews (some offices consist solely of a director). Over a seven-month period, 28 offices out of 48 (58%) and 74 out of 325 staff members (23%) were interviewed.
Students 5
All students were invited to participate in small group discussions; approximately 140 students signed up. The students were randomly assigned to focus groups; 29 students attended the meetings. All student organizations were invited to participate in focus groups; 12 participated. The overall student participation rate was 85 out of 1281 (6.6%). To supplement the research, data from the semi-annual "Quality of Student Life Survey" was incorporated into the final report. Roughly 30% of the student body responded. The Quality of Student Life Survey questions focused on perceptions based on the following areas:
- Openness to difference
Awareness of prejudice and discrimination
Desire to increase awareness about diversity
Treatment of students regardless of cultural differences
- Student experience with discrimination based on their different experiences at Bard
Advantages
This exploratory study used a flexible approach, leaving room to follow lines of inquiry and generating campus wide conversations about diversity.
Limitations
While all faculty, staff, and students were given the opportunity to participate, the samples were small. In the course of collecting racial and ethnic data, inaccuracies in coding were discovered. The definition of terms used both by facilitators and participants were not standardized and data may have been left out during collection and interpretation.
Overall impressions
In general, the community response to interviews or surveys was positive. For some, it was the first time they were formally asked to think about and talk about diversity at Bard; for many, it afforded the opportunity to engage in a focused conversation about this broadly defined topic.
Demographic Information6
Enrollment Statistics from fall 1996 to Fall 2001 (Table 1)
In 1999 and 2000, there was a steady enrollment average for non-international students of color of approximately 9%. That number rose to 16.5% for fall 2001. Prior to fall 1999, international students and students of color from the United States were counted together.
First-Year Statistics (Table 1)
Over the past six years, non-international students of color have comprised an average of 10.9% of the first-year student population. This percentage rose from 11.8% in fall 2000 to 15.1% in fall 2001.
Higher Educational Opportunity Program (HEOP) (Table 1)
Approximately 14 first-year students (52 total) are enrolled each year. Of all first-year students of color, roughly 27% are enrolled through HEOP.
GPA by Ethnicity from fall 1999 to spring 2001 (Table 2)
In fall 1999, the average GPA for all students ranged from 2.6 (Black/Non-Hispanic) to 3.72 (Native American/Alaskan Native), a difference of 1.12. In spring 2001, these values ranged from 2.93 (Black/Non-Hispanic) to 3.36 (Native American/Alaskan Native), a difference of 0.43.
Staff Ethnicity/Gender (Table 3)
Approximately 7% of the staff population is non-white; 56% is female and 44% is male.
Faculty Ethnicity/Gender (Table 4)
Approximately 12% of the faculty population is non-white. 47% is female and 53% is male.
Permanent Faculty, Chairs, and Tenure Track Faculty Hirings and Conversions by Gender and Ethnicity (Tables 5 and 6)
Since 1986, changes in faculty tenure-track hirings and conversions have varied among divisions. Throughout the 15-year span from 1986 to 2001, female hirings and conversions remained fairly even in the Arts division while increasing steadily in Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The Languages & Literature Division had a large increase between 1991-1995 with 71% female hirings and conversions. Female recruitment and conversions in the Social Studies division decreased from 60% to 26% between 1996 and 2001.
Overall, recruitment of permanent faculty, chairs, and tenure-track faculty of color has increased in the Arts, Languages and Literature, and Social Studies divisions. The data show that no Black nor Hispanic faculty have been hired as tenure-track professors nor converted to tenure-track status in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics divisions from 1986 to the present.
List of Tables7
Table 1: Enrollment Statistics from Fall 1995 to Fall 2001
Table 2: GPA by Ethnicity from Fall 1999 to Spring 2001
Table 3: Staff Ethnicity from Fall 1998 to Fall 2001
Table 4: Faculty Ethnicity from Fall 1998 to Fall 2001
Table 5: Staff and Faculty Gender for Fall 2001
Table 6: Permanent Faculty, Chairs, and Tenure-Track Faculty Hirings and Conversions By Gender from 1986 to 2001
Table 7: Permanent Faculty, Chairs, and Tenure-Track Faculty Hirings and Conversions By Ethnicity from 1986 to 2001
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RESULTS
The responses to the surveys of faculty, staff, and students were organized around three themes: Recruitment and Retention; Curricular Development; and Support, Training and Development.
Introduction
Questions were raised concerning the appropriate ways of defining diversity: how the College community should determine what makes us diverse, both in terms of numbers and categories. It was suggested that further discussion of the nature of diversity is necessary. Similarly, a deeper understanding of the nature of the construction of identity is needed. Beyond the specific issues and concerns regarding the campus climate at Bard, this serves as a starting point from which we as a community can unite and respond to such questions.
It was suggested that the Bard community appears to be receptive to difference, especially that of sexual orientation. Yet, in terms of discussing race, class, politics, religion, or disability, there seems to be a fear of saying the wrong thing or being disrespectful, a concern that was deemed "forced liberal-mindedness." In addition, it was hypothesized that more conservative or religious students may feel marginalized and reluctant to express their opinions, in and out of the classroom, for fear of the strong reaction from their more liberal peers and teachers. Bard is often thought to be a liberal place that is open to different beliefs and lifestyles; however, without regular dialogue about these issues, the actual diversity of the community is neither fully explored nor celebrated.
Whereas a majority of respondents found the discussion about diversity beneficial, others felt that the questions were useless. Some suggested that there was no need to discuss diversity and that a color-blind approach decreases racial tension. They suggested that the efforts of the Diversity Report run counter to goals of integration and limit students' identities within "socially-approved" language. This echoes the idea of "forced liberal-mindedness" and points to the need to create a supportive climate in which varying perspectives can be shared.
Socioeconomic status was a topic that many faculty, staff, and students felt is not discussed enough. There is a perception of a lack of socio-economic diversity among students — that middle-class Black and Hispanic students are absent from Bard's population. In addition, there seems to be uncertainty about how to articulate differences between issues of class8 and issues of race.
Faculty, staff, and students agreed that institutional involvement with diversity initiatives is extremely important. Leadership from administration was seen as key to the continued development of diversity and multicultural understanding at Bard.
Recruitment and Retention
Students
Overall, faculty, staff, and students speak positively about the efforts to enhance ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity, particularly noting the foreign student representation.
Yet, retention continues to be a concern, primarily for male students of color. The Office of Multicultural Affairs, with the support of the Office of Community Service and Social Action, has initiated two mentoring programs that benefit the recruitment and retention of students of color. One program is focused on students who come from families with a history of substance abuse. It is as an extension of the 4-week "Beyond the Horizon" summer program. Each week throughout the academic year, Bard College students meet one-on-one with middle-school students who are brought to campus from Hudson, NY. The second program, the Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) Mentorship Program is group-focused, with the goal of helping students make a successful transition to their next college. Bard students spend one afternoon each month in Manhattan with BHSEC students, sharing information about their college experiences and answering questions about college-related issues. As a result of involving Bard students of color in these programs, junior high, high school, and early college students are given the opportunity to interact with mentors who may share similar experiences. In addition, these mentoring experiences enhance Bard students' interest and commitment to their own education.
Some retention issues have been addressed through the meeting of the Black Alumni Network (BAN), a group of alumni/ae that serves as a resource for current Black students who seek mentorship or have questions regarding career options. In fall 2002, this group was expanded to include Latino and Asian American alumni/ae in the first-ever Alumni of Color Luncheon.
Faculty and Staff
Faculty of color currently represents 12% of the faculty population, about twice the representation of staff of color. These statistics raised concern about hiring procedures and steps already taken to assure that faculty and staff have information about the affirmative action policy and its impact. It should be noted that student representatives continue to be included in the hiring process of faculty and staff.
The College should continue aggressive efforts in hiring and retaining faculty and staff of color.
HEOP
For almost 35 years, the goal of Bard's HEOP program has been to recruit, retain, and graduate students who 1) are New York State residents, 2) are not admissible under Bard's regular admission guidelines, and 3) meet the financial criteria for economic need set by the New York State Education Department (NYSED).
A common misperception among respondents about HEOP is that its criteria for admission are race-based rather than income-based. There is an impression that HEOP is the main source of domestic ethnic diversity. Therefore, if the academic performance of HEOP students is weak, it reflects on most students of color. There is a belief that faculty lower their academic standards for students of color by passing them despite poor performance, therefore leaving them unprepared for moderation and senior project.
While HEOP students bring socio-economic diversity to Bard, it is not by definition the principal source of racial/ethnic diversity on campus. The HEOP office provides services to approximately 52 students. These services include academic support, including tutoring and counseling offered in conjunction with Academic Services.
Regular communication between the HEOP Director and the HEOP Advisory Committee occurs. In addition to collaborating with Academic Services, HEOP has built coalitions with the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Office of Admissions and works with the HEOP Professional Organization, Alumni/ae Association and the Mid Hudson HEOP Consortium to expand networking and scholarship opportunities.
One way to demystify some of the misunderstandings about HEOP is by evaluation. The HEOP Advisory Committee could conduct an evaluation to be presented to the President and disseminated to the community. Such an assessment would produce concrete recommendations to promote better understanding and continued support for the program, especially considering periodic limitations with state funding.
Recruitment from New York City
There is a misperception that students of color are recruited primarily from New York City. For students who come from urban areas, the transition to a rural setting, where perhaps they are being considered a "minority" for the first time in their lives, can be complex and difficult.
Recruitment in local areas (Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and Hudson) and wider geographic areas can be pursued more vigorously. Better relationships between the College and the surrounding community can be forged by increasing interactions with one another.
Faculty and Student Recruitment in Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Faculty, staff, and student feedback reflected a national concern regarding students of color successfully enrolling in Natural Sciences and Mathematics. While international diversity is strong, the number of non-international students of color remains small within this Division. Variations among academic preparedness affect the quality of experience in the classroom. Increasing basic course offerings through summer and intersession courses and tutoring for students may influence numbers.
Another concern is that there are few faculty of color in this Division.
The Bard College Science Initiative is aimed at achieving three goals at Bard College: to increase the number of science majors; to improve the level of science literacy throughout the college; and to assume a leadership role in the national effort to improve secondary school science teaching. Faculty from Rockefeller University, BHSEC, the Institute for Writing and Thinking, and Bard College are collaborating on ways to achieve these goals. BHSEC is seen as a potential source of students of color who are interested in math and sciences.
To improve recruitment and retention of students of color in these fields, the College should support the creation of programs to academically prepare and attract competitive students of color to math and sciences through the Bard College Science Initiative.
Orientation and Mentorship
While many faculty members informally mentor students, students expressed interest in support from faculty beyond advising. Report findings show the desire for enhanced orientation to Bard and the local community and more formalized opportunities for mentorship among and between faculty and students. The student services staff has recently formalized such a program in which newly hired staff and experienced staff members are paired up in a mentor-mentee relationship.
By reviewing successful mentor-mentee programs at other institutions, Bard may be able to help increase the success and satisfaction rates of students and faculty of color and develop mentorship programs between returning students and first-year students and between faculty and students. In addition, the DIB recommends securing funds for activities and events for mentor-mentee pairs as an incentive to faculty mentors.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs
Faculty, staff, and students all expressed support for the creation of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Currently, the Office of Multicultural Affairs is comprised of two work-study students, one full-time director, who also acts as the Assistant Dean of Students, and an assistant director, who also serves as the Assistant Director of Admission/Director of Multi-ethnic Recruitment. The office is located in the Dean of Students Office. The Office has brought the issues of diversity and multiculturalism to the fore, and allows students, both majority and minority, to explore these issues.
The DIB proposes a continued assessment of services to assure that the needs of an increasing student of color population are met. This would include plans to expand the Office and increase services devoted to supporting students of color.
Academic Support for Students
Faculty, in particular, expressed concerns about the academic preparedness of some students. While the Office of Academic Services was commended for its efforts, the feedback suggested a desire for further academic support. This concern has been addressed through the recent addition of a Director of College Writing. The staff also includes one full-time Director of Academic Services, one full-time Director of Quantitative Skills, approximately fifty peer tutors and two part-time writing instructors, each of whom teaches one 2-credit writing course per semester.
With the expansion of the Office of Academic Services, the office can offer further tutoring, address retention issues, and work with faculty on issues of writing and pedagogy.
Curricular Coordination
Interdivisional programs
Faculty mentioned uncertainty about how to provide a safe and comfortable environment for discussions of diversity in particular classrooms. They observe that students of color seem to prefer interacting with faculty of color and are concerned that students may believe that only faculty of color are sufficiently "authentic" to teach about issues of race and culture.
Students thought that classroom discussions about US-based race and cultural history and contemporary issues are more personally challenging than discussions of these issues in other cultures and that such discussions should be pursued further. They expressed a desire for interaction and dialogue with faculty, both formally and informally, around issues of diversity. Students of color specifically noted the absence of courses on Asian American and Native American History. These students also communicated a continued desire for ethnic-specific classes.
The main questions to come out of the dialogue on curricular issues are whether programs or texts in the context of diversity in the classroom can and should become mainstreamed into the curriculum and if so, how to integrate them. Because each informs the others, concepts of race, gender, and culture should be integrated into traditional areas of study.
In spring 2002, classes such as the "Black Experience in America", "Approaches to Zen Buddhism", "Cultural Politics of the Raj", and "Gender and Public Policy" were offered. A foreign language and culture course requirement gives students the opportunity to take courses in foreign languages and in literary, social, and artistic disciplines that focus on non-English-speaking cultures.
Interdivisional programs such as African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS), Gender Studies, Jewish Studies, and Multiethnic Studies (MES), among others, have added to the diversity in the curriculum. It was recommended that we must find ways to help students understand the value of taking such courses.
Statistics show that enrollment in the interdivisional programs is low. The Faculty Senate, with the Dean of the College, could address this as part of the formal program review process. By considering ways and means to respond to cross-cultural awareness through serious intellectual discussion, classroom learning can be enhanced.
L & T and First-Year Seminar
The Language and Thinking Program (L&T) and First-Year Seminar were seen as important opportunities to create foundations of knowledge about race, gender, and culture. All first year students are required to take the two-semester First-Year Seminar, which introduces them to worldwide intellectual, artistic, and cultural traditions and to methods of studying those traditions. The seminar is designed to train students in the close reading of texts, critical thinking, analytical writing, and the clear articulation of ideas. In the fall semester the seminar is organized around a single theme. These themes change every two to four years, so as to ensure topical relevance and faculty participation. In the spring semester, the First-Year Seminar focuses on the close analysis of a single work, a single figure, or a group of closely related works that vary from instructor to instructor. The course does not pretend to cover all of the issues raised by the theme but primarily forms a bridge between the Language and Thinking Workshop — which requires students to complete two academic essays within the three-week period — and the demands of the regular Bard curriculum. First-Year Seminar is a writing-intensive course and as such acts as an extension of L&T, providing students with a grounding in the rigors of intellectual discourse, while inspiring them to examine their own knowledge, beliefs, and responses to difficult texts. Finally, the newly-created position of Director of College Writing, working under the aegis of the Academic Services Center, collaborates with the First-Year Seminar professors in particular, and the Bard faculty in general, to address cross-curricular issues of student writing.
In order to incorporate matters of diversity into L & T and the First-Year Seminar, the directors of these programs should continue to review courses and texts to ensure that they sufficiently address cross-cultural issues.
Support, Training, and Development
Faculty Support
Faculty, staff, and students frequently cited a need to increase opportunities for faculty to lead discussions/seminars on diversity. However, faculty feedback reflected a concern about how to talk about diversity in the classroom.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs offers workshops addressing stereotypes and exploring diverse perspectives and cultural differences. For the past three years, mandatory diversity workshops for incoming students have been held during L&T. In addition, the Diversity Awareness Peers conduct peer-based diversity programs. The Director of Multicultural Affairs has also developed diversity training for student services staff.
In order to address diverse approaches to teaching and learning, the academic deans and the deans of information services are exploring the development of a Center for Faculty and Curricular Development (CFCD). CFCD might serve as a resource center whose primary goal would be to meet the pedagogical and development needs of the faculty of Bard College. Its principal mission would be to facilitate, promote, and develop effective pedagogy and learning.
These are just a few examples showing the progress in the areas of training and development around diversity at Bard. Yet, the feedback received from faculty, staff, and students showed a gap in some areas.
The creation of a faculty subcommittee to institute a series of diversity seminars for faculty and provide faculty with resources, materials, and other tools with which to work more effectively with diversity in their classrooms would be essential. In addition, the faculty senate may be able to evaluate the success of academic programs that demonstrate how diversity is incorporated into the curriculum and make recommendations for modeling their success. Finally, the continued development of CFCD is important to continuing faculty training and support.
Advancing institutional research and data collection
The collection of accurate, historic demographic data for faculty, staff, and students proved to be a challenge in compiling information for this report.
In order for the Office of Human Resources to continue to implement Affirmative Action in hiring and to increase the diversity of faculty, staff, and students, appropriate support is needed. Institutional research should be a priority for the college.
Inclusion of diversity education in student activities
Students shared a perception that the cultural student organizations do not work in collaboration with one another. There seems to be a need for enhanced cross-cultural communication.
In spring 2001, the Asian American Student Organization (AASO), the Black Student Organization (BSO), and the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) organized, for the first time, a successful weekend of events known as Spring Fling. This was done with support from the Student Activities Office and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. In spring 2002, the identity-based student organizations united to co-sponsor Spoken Word Fest 2002, an event highlighting poets from multicultural backgrounds. More collaborative programs are planned for the future.
Similar events should continue, with a focus on educational efforts (i.e. speakers, discussions, etc.) in order to balance social activity with political activity and raise awareness regarding issues that affect students in higher education. Additional funding should be procured to enhance such activities.
Local community
Issues affecting faculty, staff, and students in the local community were mentioned. Staff was especially attuned to students, particularly students of color, having difficulties with interactions in the local area. Enhancing local community support was seen as essential. While most campus events are open to the local community, interaction with residents in Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Kingston, and other surrounding towns is limited. Products specific to a variety of cultures can be difficult to find in the local area.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs website could provide the campus community and the local community with information regarding upcoming events and offer a listing of cultural, religious, and ethnic products available. The DIB recommends the establishment of partnerships with the local community to enhance local outreach for employment and scholarships.
On Campus
It is interesting to note that white students appeared to be most concerned about interaction between races and cultures while students of color seemed more concerned about retention, recruitment, and issues affecting them as students of color in a predominantly white institution. Students of color expressed frustration with the small number of social opportunities that address their interests. They mentioned concern with the lack of offerings in the bookstore - books, cultural products (primarily for hair care) and through food services - cuisine that reflects different cultures.
In recent years, the Food Committee, in cooperation with Chartwells Dining Services, developed an ethnic food program. This program offers students the opportunity to guide chefs in the Kline Dining Commons through the cooking process of their favorite ethnic foods. While participation in the program has diminished, effort should be made to revive it.
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CONCLUSION
The publication of the first Bard College Diversity Report signals our institution's willingness and commitment to look at ourselves critically and objectively. It gives us the opportunity to celebrate our past diversity and make long-term strategic decisions to assure our future victories. The Diversity and Inclusion Board will continue its dedication to these efforts by pursuing the proposed recommendations.
As we look towards the future of Bard College, it is critical that a genuine and demonstrable commitment to diversity be a strong element. Through the support of the Hewlett Foundation and the College, we have been able to shed light on the state of diversity at Bard and to develop a plan for a rich future. We are committed to working hard in order to understand the complexity of diversity, establish just responses to challenges, and capitalize on the educational opportunities of a diverse community. Although we may stumble at times, we are aware of our historic efforts and are dedicated to the process of positive change.
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REFERENCES
Aiken, S.H., Anderson, K., Dinnerstein, M., Lensink, J., & MacCorquodale, P. (1989).
Trying transformations: Curriculum integration and the problem of resistance, In Reconstructing the academy: Women's education and women's studies. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 104-124.
Babbie, Earl. (1995). The practice of social research (Seventh Edition). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Chang, M., Witt, D., Jones, J. & Hakuta, K. (Eds.). Compelling interest: Examining the
evidence on racial dynamics in higher education. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.
Hurtado, S., Milem, J.F., Clayton-Pedersen, A.R., & Allen, W.R. (1999). Enacting
learning environments: Improving the campus climate for racial/ethnic diversity. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report Series, 26 (8). Washington, DC: George Washington University/ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education.
Harvey, W.B. (2001). Minorities in higher education: Eighteenth annual status report.
Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
Milem, J.F. and Astin, H.S. (1993). The changing composition of faculty: What does it
really mean for diversity? Change, 25, (2), 21-27.
Milem, J.F. and Hakuta, K. (2000). How diversity benefits teaching and learning,
featured report, In D. Wilds (author) Minorities in higher education: Eighth
annual status report. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
Pascarella, E.T, Edison, M., Nora, A., Hagedorn, L.S., & Terenzini, P.T. (1996).
Influences on students' openness to diversity and the challenge in the first year of college. Journal of Higher Education, 67(2), 174-195.
Smedley, B.D., Myers, H.F., & Harrell, S.P. (1993). Minority status stresses and the
college adjustment of ethnic minority freshman, Journal of Higher Education, 64(4), 434-452.
Springer, L., Palmer, B., Terenzini, P., Pascarella, E., & Nora, A. (1996). Attitudes
toward campus diversity: Participation in a racial or cultural workshop. Review of Higher Education, (20)1, 53-68.
Upcraft, M.L and Schuh, J.H. (1996). Assessment in student affairs: A guide for
practitioners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
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APPENDIX A
Diversity and Inclusion Board Membership
Past and PresentFaculty
Susan Aberth, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History*
Amy Ansell, Associate Professor of Sociology
Myra Armstead, Professor of History/Director of Multi-Ethnic Studies (MES)*
Sanjib Baruah, Professor of Political Studies
Daniel Berthold-Bond, Professor of Philosophy
Gabriela Carrion, Assistant Professor of Spanish*
Jean Churchill, Professor of Dance
Aureliano DeSoto, Assistant Professor of MES*
Michele Dominy, Dean of the College/Professor of Anthropology
Mark Halsey, Associate Professor of Mathematics/Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
David Lopez, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Garry Reigenborn, Assistant Professor of Dance
Julia Rosenbaum, Associate Dean of the College/Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History
Geoffrey Sanborn, Assistant Professor of English
Michelle Wilkinson, Professor of Literature
Staff
Mary Backlund, Vice President of Student Affairs/Director of Admission*
Fred Barnes, Director of Residence Life/Assistant Dean of Students*
Jonathan Becker, Dean of International Studies/Assistant Professor of Politics Studies*
Beveraly Bellinger, Director for Counseling Services
Celia Bland, Director of College Writing*
Erin Cannan, Dean of Students*
Jennifer Jimenez, Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Multicultural Affairs (2001-present)*
Allen Josey, Director of the Campus Center and Student Activities*
Tarah Greenidge, Assistant Director of Admission/Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs*
John Kelly, Jr., Director for First Year Students*
Phoebe McDowell, Assistant Director of the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP)*
Peri Rainbow, Director of Bard's Response to Rape and Associate Violence Education (BRAVE)*
David Shein, Director of Academic Services*
Idahlia Stokas, Director of HEOP*
Alan Wolfzahn, Chartwell's Catering Director*
Christopher Wood, Intramural Director/Facilities Coordinator/Head Men's Basketball Coach*
Nicole Woods, Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Multicultural Affairs (1998-2001)
Students
Elizabeth Anderson*
Gena Barsotti
John Burrowes*
Ingrid Burrows (class of 2000)
Annel Cabrera
Cristofe Chung*
Bertha Cordero
Justine Goodman*
Max Kenner (class of 2001)
Nikkya Martin*
Juan Martinez
Josephine Moon (class of 2002)
Jessica Neptune (class of 2002)
Chris Pappas (class of 2000)
Tamara Plummer (class of 2002)
Mihoby Rabeharison (class of 2002)
Ariana Stokas (class of 2000)
Dumaine Williams*
*Denotes current member
APPENDIX B
Staff Offices Interviewed
- Academic Services
Admissions
Alumni/ae and Development
Athletics and Recreation
Bookstore
Building and Grounds
Career Development
Chaplaincy
Chartwells
Counseling
Dean of the College
Dean of Graduate Studies/Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dean of Students
Financial Aid
First-Year Students
Grants Office
Higher Education Opportunity Program
International Students Services
Language and Thinking (L&T) Program
Library
Program in International Education (PIE)
Residence Life
Security
Service Master
Student Accounts
Student Activities
Office of Community Service and Social Action
- Vice President for Administration and Finance
APPENDIX C
Student Groups Interviewed
- Asian American Student Organization (AASO)
Bard Response to Associated Violence Education (BRAVE)
Black Student Organization (BSO)
Central Committee
Dance Workshop
Entertainment Committee
Film Committee
Free Press
Latin American Student Organization (LASO)
Observer
Peer Counselors
Planning Committee
Queer Alliance
Sexual Identities Lifestyle Knowledge (SILK)
Student Association
- Women's Alliance
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1 See Appendix A
2 Babbie, 1995
3 use of detailed descriptions of people's "experiences, attitudes, beliefs, and thoughts," Upcraft & Schuh, 1996, p. 53
4 See Appendix B
5 See Appendix C
6 It is important to note that some of the percentages are derived from small samples. Please review the tables in the Appendix for further detail.
7 See Appendix D
8 which sometimes have denied students access to quality educational backgrounds
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Contact
Geneva A. Foster, Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Multicultural Affairs
Office of Multicultural Affairs, Bard College, Bertelsmann Campus Center 227,
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000; Phone: 845-758-7092;
Fax: 845-758-7646; E-mail: diversity@bard.edu
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