<p>Racial tension in the United
States has moved to the forefront in social discourse with the rise of the
Black Lives Matter movement and elections of far-right wing politicians who provide
support and empathy for White supremacist groups. In higher education, colleges and
universities often serve as microcosms of the broader society’s racial
climate. Experts have revealed that 56%
of U.S. university presidents believed that inclusion and diversity had grown
in importance between 2015-2017.
Additionally, 47% of presidents at 4-year institutions stated that
students had organized on their campus amid concerns about racial
diversity. In attempts to combat the
divisiveness present in American culture, colleges and universities have begun
appointing Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) administrative positions to lead their
inclusion and diversity missions to better support minoritized and marginalized
communities. Experts estimate that
nearly 80% of CDO positions were created in the last 20 years. Despite efforts to develop CDOs, higher
education institutions sometimes struggle to foster inclusive and diverse
environments. Recently, a small body of
literature has been developed to better understand the CDO role in higher
education. Predominantly White
Land-Grant Universities (PWLGUs) have also seen an influx of issues related to
diversity and inclusion over the years. The
purpose of the current study was to uncover how CDOs see their role and
responsibilities in the context of Predominantly White Land-Grant
Universities. This study used Critical
Race Theory (CRT) framework to examine how CDOs navigate their identities, the
presence of racism, and the social climate of their university and the broader
United States. This study was guided by
five research questions, including one topical question which served to provide
demographic information of the CDOs. The
other four research questions covered barriers and successes of CDOs, how CDOs
navigated their own identity while in the role of CDO, and how they observed
the presence of racism at PWLGUs. Two
rounds of interviews were conducted with seven CDOs at PWLGUs. Topic and pattern coding were used to analyze
data via NVivo qualitative data analysis software. There were four findings for this study. First, racism has had a constant presence on,
and at times has been supported by, land-grant universities further
complicating the jobs of CDOs. Second,
CDOs of color often connected elements of their identity to the
responsibilities of the CDO position.
Third, CDOs described ways in which inclusion and diversity were part of
the purpose of land-grant universities and ways in which race factored into
academic achievements of the institution, but then become afterthoughts in
other elements of campus life. Finally,
PWLGUs often invoke liberal processes and decision-making that further limits
the capabilities of the CDO to foster inclusive and diverse campuses. Future study recommendations include
comparing and contrasting CDOs of Color and White CDOs, CDOs at
Minority-Serving Institutions with CDOs at Non-Minority Serving Institutions,
and perception of satisfaction by people of color with the job of the CDO at
their institution. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/12377711 |
| Date | 15 June 2020 |
| Creators | Brandon C Allen (8899505) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/Using_Critical_Race_Theory_to_Examine_How_Predominantly_White_Land-Grant_Universities_Utilize_Chief_Diversity_Officers/12377711 |
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