NEW DIRECTIONS FOR CAMPUS DIVERSITY

AND THE IMPACT ON FUNDED RESEARCH

 Are you looking for a competitive advantage for your next research proposal or renewal?  Are you interested in seeing your department or center faculty increase their potential success rate on research proposals?  Or are you interested in enhancing your current projects with unique ideas about diversity that add value to your research and scholarship? If so, then mark your calendars to attend this workshop on Wednesday 3/26/2008 from 4pm-6pm (followed by served dinner) and hear Dr. Roberto Ibarra, Associate Professor Sociology, book author on higher education diversity, and former Special Assistant to the UNM President for Diversity to provide answers to these questions and more.

Despite the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld affirmative action in higher education, the ways to achieve diversity on campus and in our academic programs are changing rapidly. Rather than relying on traditional recruitment and retention methods to increase diverse populations, the latest trends focus on creating more inclusive academic cultures. These changes also are reflected in the guidelines for research proposals from funding agencies and foundations.  In the past, successful proposals simply included data and information about campus diversity initiatives along with vague promises to increase the diversity of students and faculty.  Today, more and more funding organizations are asking to include unique ways for institutions and scholars to become more involved and more inclusive of diverse populations by incorporating new strategies, hands-on initiatives and genuine community engagement. 

 One new idea, according to Ibarra, is to include a Multicontextual theoretical perspective in our research and scholarship.  This new model, called Context Diversity is derived from social science concepts of culture and cognition, and is emerging as a new perspective for better understanding the various dimensions for successfully diversifying higher education.  More importantly for researchers, it offers a unique model that is both quantitative and qualitative and could provide a leg up in competition for research dollars.  In fact, there may be many research projects and initiatives on your campus now that reflect these new dynamics but few researchers are able to capitalize on them. 

 Come join us for some intriguing ideas and data about the Context Diversity model that may change the way that you shape your research agenda.