Diversity Vermont Diversity Issues in Higher Education

Diversity Vermont Diversity Issues in Higher Education and the University of Vermont How does this school present its interests in " diversity"(college's mission statement, diversity statement, website) The University of Vermont takes great pride in the diversity of its student population. The school courts students from throughout both the United States and the international community, creating an atmosphere in which all races, religions, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations and genders are made to feel welcomed and embraced.

According to UVM's informational website, the school has been engaged in an array of diversity improvement programs that speak to the school's commitment to creating a multicultural community. UVM reports that the school is engaged in five separate "presidential commissions" which are focuses on better understanding diversity issues and improving the university's response to these issues. The mainstream curriculum also requires students to engage in 6 mandatory credits relating to diversity issues in education.

(UVM1, 1) Beyond these gestures, the school's offices of residential and student life are geared toward helping students of a diverse set of backgrounds acclimate to the shared campus. 2) Does the advertised interest seem to match the "reality" of the campus?(campus statistics) With that said, the University of Vermont is located in one of the least ethnically diverse regions and states in the U.S. Vermont as a state is predominantly Caucasian, with other racial and ethnic populations making up the minority.

In spite of the efforts and the advertised interests expressed by UVM, the school is a fairly direct reflection of the diversity issues in the state as a whole. According to Cappex (2011), which offers basic statistical information on American colleges, UVM is 91% Caucasian. The next highest population is 3% Asian/Pacific Islander, with only 2% Hispanic, 2% Non-Resident Alien and 1% African-American. (Cappex, p. 1) These numbers denote a reality in which efforts at expanding diversity at UVM have been met with logistical, geographical and cultural challenges.

3)Why is "diversity" an important issue for the culture of higher education?(affirmative action, public perception) This indicates that UVM is missing out on an important issue at the higher education level. According to Boyer (1990), the multiculturalism which is a defining characteristic of our nation is also increasingly becoming a challenging aspect of our schools and one which demands direct conditioning if we are to some day soon help to bring our schools up to speed with the collective cultural needs of students and faculty.

This is especially so at the university level, where to many around the world, America is still a draw for its varied, nuanced and promising college system. In particular, Boyer argues that it is necessary to establish a community which is purposeful, open, just, disciplined, caring and celebrative. The collective effect of these conditions would be the development of a community and setting in which diversity is seen as an opportunity for learning for all as opposed to an obstacle to educating.

At the university, therefore, it should be a policy and priority to help students of a diverse array of ethnic and cultural backgrounds find one another in a potentially large and diffuse population; by helping to standardize cultural appreciation groups correspondent to all nationalities and ethnicities represented on a campus, by establishing campus-wide cultural appreciation events, performances or meet-ups, by helping to promote social engagement between common parties and by helping to promote social engagement amongst different cultural groups.

Beyond this, it also seems clear that UVM could benefit from more active engagement of such programs as affirmative action, which might help to improve its ratio of Caucasian students to others. 4)why does the school have particular array of students? All evidence suggests that the array of students presently populating UVM is a direct reflection of the ethnic population throughout Vermont. According to an article by Silverman (2011), Vermont is one of the least diverse states in the country. However, Silverman states that this is changing within the youth population.

Silverman reports that "the state's youth population is becoming increasingly diverse, a sign of bigger changes for the state in years to come. The share of non-Hispanic whites younger than 18 shrank from 95% in 2000 to 91%. Young blacks make up 1.6% of the population, up from 0.7%; Latinos jumped from 1.2% to 2.2%; Asians from 1% to 1.5%; and multiracial youths from 1.8% to 3.1%." (Silverman, p. 1) This means that opportunities are becoming greater to improve the diversity of students drawn from in-state. 5) who gets financial aid? Most students are likely to be eligible for some level of financial aid.

According to the UVM2 informational website, the cost for attendance at UVM is almost twice as much for those coming from out-of-state. Federal Direct Loans are an important part of offsetting these costs for students.

According to the site, "Student Financial Services works for undergraduate, graduate, medical or continuing education students from the day you apply for admission, to the day you make the last payment on your student loans." (UVM2, 1) 6)what does it feel like to be a student there? In spite of the relatively low level of ethnic and racial diversity at UVM, the school does an excellent job of ensuring that all of its students feel at home and welcome.

The community is embracive of all backgrounds, the curricular offerings reflect a diversity of cultural interests and the clubs, activities and residential communities provide open doors to all types of participants. It is easy to feel comfortable and at-home on the UVM campus. 7)How successful are students? According to UVM3 (2010), 60.7% of students entering the university in Fall 2004 would graduate in 4 years. This denotes a relatively high rate of retention and graduation during the standard four-year period.

8)what multicultural education are students receiving? The multicultural education received by the students is characterized both by the mandatory 6 credit diversity curriculum and by the efforts that the school spends to court international students. According to the school's admissions page, "many international students find the University of Vermont an ideal setting for an undergraduate, graduate or medical education -- in fact students come to the university from more than 50 countries." (UVM, 1) 9)who are faculty leaders? The school's staff of professors may qualify on the whole as faculty leadership.

This is because the school can speak to an intimate relationship between students and professors. The experience of attending school here is positively impacted by the efforts that all professors make to get to know their students and to help them through individualized challenges. Here,.