Instead of assuming that community can be based on the denial of diverse cultural heritages and experiences, we are learning to help students develop a strong sense of their own distinctive heritages and identities. In the long run, higher education's effective engagement with societal diversity contributes to American resilience and vitality. Inclusion of all parts of our society in higher education prepares graduates experientially and intellectually for a culturally complex world. With more than 75 percent of high school graduates going to college, this is what business would call a decided competitive advantage. But we can hardly educate students for the challenge of a diverse society if our campuses revert to racial homogeneity.
Higher education depends on a fundamental commitment to access.
It's time to ask whether we really believe in educational excellence and opportunity for all.