Who Benefits from Racial Diversity in Higher Education?
The following text is excerpted from “Who Benefits from Racial Diversity in Higher Education?” by Mitchell J. Chang, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Loyola Marymount University, and Alexander W. Astin, Director, Higher Education Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles. Most educators view a diverse student body as an important educational resource that enhances the environment for learning. “[P]ublic opinion, however, regarding the educational ‘benefits’ of diversity has been mixed. [Few seem] to disagree that there are educational benefits associated with race-conscious admissions that accrue to those underrepresented groups who have been historically excluded from selective institutions of higher education. Opponents of such attempts to diversify the student body, however, argue that “more deserving” white students are being denied educational opportunities and that those white students who are admitted realize no significant educational benefits from
