The article’s title caught my attention:
“Higher education falling behind on diversity.”
Its author, Mildred Garcia, president of California State University
Fullerton, is a highly regarded educator with an impressive record of
involvement. I was eager to learn how diversity
might improve higher education
The central features of Dr. Garcia ‘s views
are clearly articulated. The following
excerpts describe her concerns: “Underrepresented groups continue to be
impacted by inequitable access to academic success.” “Since the majority of our students grew up
in different cultures, navigating [the] path can prove difficult, leading to an
‘achievement gap’ between underrepresented students and their white peers.” “[It is] our responsibility to ‘have
diversity’ . . . it is paramount for social progress . . . for all students
hoping to succeed in a rapidly evolving global society.”
I admit I’m unconvinced. Dr. Garcia refers to inequitable access to academic success, but I interpret academic
success as successfully completing a course of study by mastering the subject
matter—a detail her article fails to address.
As for achievement gap, we
must expect some students will perform better than others. This is simply a matter of scholastic aptitude—another
subject she ignores. Finally, she
stresses the importance of diversity as a measure of progress. It seems, rather, that for an educator,
learning should be foremost. But the
most glaring discord is her inference that education is a collective process,
whereas, in reality it’s a singular endeavor.
One thing cannot be disputed: Mildred Garcia
is the university president—not I. Her
attitudes obviously reflect what is now regarded by the educational
establishment as fundamental. I’m
convinced that education, at all levels, is no longer devoted to the subject of
learning, as it once was, but rather to involvement in the political process
and revenue generation. In short, it’s big
business, exemplified by charter schools owned and operated by hedge funds,
school luminaries with 6 and 7-figure salaries, and academic policies formulated
under the guidance of union officials.
A final thought: The real problem with the
universities is not diversity. It’s that
there are thousands of inept and unmotivated students who have no reason to be
there.
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