Bard College
PAE-7: Measuring Campus Diversity Culture

In the last academic year (2009-2010), the Bard College Diversity Committee conducted an evaluation of campus-wide diversity culture by measuring the numbers of students from various ethnic backgrounds in specific concentrations and departments, and attrition rates and progress towards the degree. This year, in 2011, Annie Seaton, Director of Multicultural Affairs, also conducted an assessment of the academic progress of all students of color at Bard in order to assess the probable success and need for a merit-based diversity-focused scholarship fund. While the Diversity Committee report has not been posted on the Bard College website, due to the very small size of the campus population of color and the probable ability of students to identify the students in question, it was circulated to the entire faculty and staff.

We are currently designing a merit-based scholarship program for students of color and other under-represented groups which is designed to promote student retention and success at Bard College by compensating at least in part for the well-researched “wealth gap” which divides even middle-class minorities from non-minorities. Through our data analysis and population surveys, we found that students often failed to take courses in the practicing arts and other “expensive” concentrations—film, studio art, and even economics—because of the extra cost of textbooks, equpiment, and other materials, and that many students could not afford study abroad programs or other related expenses. Furthermore, research conducted by Annie Seaton has pointed to a high-achieving student of color population that can and should be directed towards graduate school scholarships and other merit-based diversity programs for post-graduate life. Since our data have also pointed to our relatively small numbers of faculty who meet diversity criteria, we are also planning a Rethinking Difference Lecture Series for the upcoming academic year, where we will invite scholars from under-represented groups as well as other scholars who are doing work that looks at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and other “differences” in a way that will enhance the College curriculum. The Rethinking Difference lecture series will be offered in conjunction with various academic programs and concentrations. In addition, as a response to the diversity issues in the general campus culture, we are planning to initiate campus-wide diversity workshops for the entire incoming 2011 First-Year class at Bard, in conjunction with the Dean of Student Affairs Office and Residence Life. These workshops will also be connected to the Rethinking Difference lecture series, and will include contributions from scholars, artists, and others who work on issues of diversity, community, and inclusion.