Diversity. Opportunities to engage a diverse population of students—both ethnically and socioeconomically. Who can afford to come here, who thinks about coming here (or does not think about it) and who feels comfortable once here? Related to whole artist, whole student. What drives/limits diversity? Enrolling students—some cannot afford to come, even with need based aid. Diversity also a factor in recruiting/admitting talented students, who are “missing” parts of academic training. The catalytic role of art in creating understanding of diversity: student’s exposure to art forms, to literature, to drama, creates understanding—diversity contextualized and brought forward.
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Jim Petosa posted on January 19, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Ethnic and socioeconomic diversity is essential to creating a dynamic community. We really need to champion our efforts to make it so. I also think we need to be mindful of shunning any unwitting results that minimize the vast distinctions among the individuals that comprise our community by undue simplistic definitions that think of them solely in the categories of ethnicity and socioeconomics. We risk missing so much of them if we do that.
Phyllis Hoffman posted on January 19, 2011 at 7:22 pm
My experience with improving the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity at BUTI is that staff must be assigned to identify and recruit these constituencies and to provide personalized attention and assistance with the application process. Dedicated scholarship resources are also essential and several grants have been secured exclusively for minority students. This model could be applied to the recruitment of minorities for all of CFA.
Lydia Diamond posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:19 pm
There’s something about the word, “diversity” that is, as my students would say, “played out”. I suspect I’ll be able to write more eloquently about this in the morning…. but did want to say that I am in agreement w/ Jim. Diversity not only means more people with brown skin (though I’m always all for that)… I think it relates to our conversation around leadership. If we are truly leaders we show our embracing of the importance of diversity, not because it is the right thing to do… not because we are made to feel guilty, or inadequate in our previous efforts, or elitist…. but because an institution that produces leaders, that wishes to been seen as an innovator and leader, looks like the extremely “diverse” world it presumes to lead. In addition to Phyllis’ points…. I think one of the strongest recruiting tools is having a diverse faculty and staff. And, in this regard I do mean culturally, ethnically, internationally…. Our students of whatever backgrounds, come to us w/ a sense of themselves as other…
Lydia Diamond posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:28 pm
see…..too tired to sound as smart as I promise I can be….that last sentence…. I intended to delete… its another train of thought, undeveloped, but wanting to acknowledge the universality of being/feeling marginalized, while still acknowledging that our student body, faculty, and staff are still overwhelmingly white….diverse in spirit, aesthetic, religion, worldliness, and even, to a lesser degree, class….but also….very very white, and lets face it, isn’t it just more fun, dangerous in the best ways, intellectually challenging, and flavorful, when we mix it up….
Jim Petosa posted on January 20, 2011 at 9:03 am
Yes, Lydia, you’re articlulating (or grappling) with the same
challenge I was crudely trying to point up in the first comment. It’s difficult making the point of the student person as unique and yet sharing cultural/ethnic/econimic/etc. aspects of themselves, that do not fully define them. Finding new ways to talk about “diversity” may be the leadership task here. None of this denies the simple truth that we do need more ‘classically defined” diversity at CFA, tho! 🙂
lynne allen posted on January 20, 2011 at 1:59 pm
We’ll talk about this rather than write now. With regard to our specific area we have some unique topics to discuss.