Multiculturalism in Higher Education: Testing the Assumptions of Institutional Change to Improve Campus Diversity.

Prevailing theories of multiculturalism in higher education propose that racial equity can be achieved through a collection of activities to transform or create access, curriculum, institutional diversity and support programs and services for students, faculty and staff of color. Scholars and practitioners have advanced these initiatives through a vast body of literature demonstrating the need for, benefits of, and steps necessary for achieving multiculturalism on campus. Much of this work has depended upon individual level analyses, and has emphasized educational interventions as sufficient for transforming campus culture and achieving racial equity. This paper investigates these claims at the macro-level, using data collected by the National Center for Educational Statistics that annually administers the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to all post-secondary degree granting institutions in the U.S. The results of a series of OLS regression models are reported which challenge some of the claims of multiculturalism and suggest that more systemic analyses and initiatives are necessary to achieve racial equity in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]