Multiculturalism on Campus : Theory, Models, and Practices for Understanding Diversity and Creating Inclusion

As the diversity of the students on campus increases, the importance for everyone in authority to understand students’ distinct cultures and how they perceive our institutions, and equally, to understand our own privilege, and often unconscious cultural assumptions, has never been greater.

This book presents a comprehensive set of resources to guide students of education, faculty, higher education administrators, and student affairs leaders in creating an inclusive environment for under-represented groups on campus. It is intended as a guide to gaining a deeper understanding of the various multicultural groups on college campuses for faculty in the classroom and professional staff who desire to understand the complexity of the students they serve, as well as reflect on their own values and motivations.

The contributors introduce the reader to the relevant theory, models, practices, and assessment methods to prepare for, and implement, a genuinely multicultural environment. Recognizing that cultural identity is more than a matter of ethnicity and race, they equally address factors such as gender, age, religion, and sexual orientation. In the process, they ask the reader to assess his or her own levels of multicultural sensitivity, awareness, and competence.

The book approaches multiculturalism from three perspectives, each of which comprises a separate section: awareness; cultural populations; and cultural competence practice.

Section One defines multiculturalism and multicultural competence, considers changing student demographics, explores the impact environment has on culture, and provides the readers with criteria for assessing their cultural competence and awareness of their own racial identity.

Section Two addresses the cultural characteristics of specific ethnic or cultural populations, emphasizing their commonalities, and describing programs and practices that have successfully promoted their development. Each chapter includes discussion questions, and/or suggested activities that practitioners can undertake on their own campuses.

Individual chapters respectively cover the culture and experiences of African Americans, Asian and Pacific Island Americans, Latinas/os, Native Americans, biracial and multiracial students, the disabled, international students, non-traditional students, students of faith, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, and analyze White Americans’ attitudes to issues of privilege, racial identity, and social justice. The inclusion of a chapter on the cultural characteristics of White students provides an opportunity for members of the majority culture to perceive of themselves in a cultural sense, and to appreciate their own culture as a first step in allowing them to recognize and appreciate other cultures.

The concluding section offers suggestions on how to use the book’s insights to achieve systemic change in the college environment.

The book is intended as a text for students, and as a practical guide for faculty, academic administrators, student affairs professionals, and others who want to foster an environment in which all students can succeed. It includes case studies, discussion questions, examples of best practice, and recommends resources to use in the classroom.

Michael J. Cuyjet is a Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville, where he has been teaching and mentoring students in the College Student Personnel program since 1993. Prior to that, he served more than 20 years as a student affairs practitioner and an affiliate/adjunct assistant professor at Northern Illinois University and at the University of Maryland - College Park. During his 17 years at UofL he has also served as Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Acting Associate Provost for Student Life and Development. His research areas include underrepresented college student populations and competencies of student affairs new professionals. He is the editor and one of the authors of the 2006 book, African American Men in College, and a coauthor of the 2002 book, How Minority Students Experience College. He has edited two other books, including the 1997 publication, Helping African American Men Succeed in College; published more than twenty other journal articles or book chapters; and has made more than 100 presentations at national and regional conferences.

Mary F. Howard-Hamilton is a Professor of Higher Education at Indiana State University. She previously served as a higher education administrator for 15 years, working at five institutions, where her responsibilities variously included orientation, developmental education, judicial affairs, multicultural affairs, commuter life, and residence life. She taught courses in student affairs, higher education, and counseling at the University of Florida; and at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where she was also Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the School of Education. Her areas of expertise are multicultural issues in higher education, student development theories, feminist theory and therapy, and consultation. She has published over 75 articles and book chapters, and co-authored or co-edited five books.

Diane L. Cooper is a Professor of College Student Affairs Administration in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services at The University of Georgia. She served for eight years as a student affairs practitioner at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before joining the faculty in Student Development at Appalachian State University from 1992-1995. Dr. Cooper served for 6 years as the Editor for the College Student Affairs Journal and on the editorial board for the Journal of College Student Development. She is the co-author of several books including Identity development of diverse populations: Implications for teaching and practice in higher education and Learning through supervised practice in student affairs. Her research interests are in multiple identity development, program design and assessment, legal and ethical issues in student affairs practice, and professional issues related to underrepresented groups in higher education.