RUNNING

HEAD: Critical Issue

Critical Issue in Higher Education

Nicolas Lee

Seattle University

SDAD 5760: Leadership and Governance of Postsecondary Education

Dr. Tim Leary

March 9th, 2018

Critical Issue 1

What is Whiteness?

One of the biggest and most talked about topics in higher education is how

institutions need to focus on creating Diversity and becoming more Inclusive. The larger

topic of Diversity and Inclusion is a very broad and vague topic when it comes to creating

and change. What does Diversity mean? What kind of Diversity are we talking about? How

do we become Inclusive? Who is being excluded? This topic is very large and heavy to

unpack. However, where I want to focus my attention is not on the goal but on where this

issue comes from. I chose to explore the large concept of Whiteness and think critically of

what is the large culture that creates the inequalities and inequities that exists in higher

education.

I interviewed three individuals for this paper, an assistant vice president, a graduate

program faculty member, and a current undergraduate student at Seattle University. All

three individuals identified as people of color. From their responses, the definition that I

will be working with to define whiteness is the dominant, inescapable culture that is

normal and expected that puts values on white or euro-centric values. For example,

shaking hands as a professional greeting as opposed to hugging or asking how one’s family

or personal well being is.

The Tensions that Arise

In today’s world, it is clear that issues of Diversity and Inclusion are becoming more

and more pertinent and in the forefront of higher education. As more students from

marginalized backgrounds are attending institutions of higher education, issues of

inclusivity have become more prevalent. Inclusivity in itself looks to give space to all people

who are attending institutions of higher education. This means that the ultimate goal is to

allow a person’s identities and intersections to exist safely and comfortably. Currently, it’s
Critical Issue 2

easy to see how institutions of higher education are not built to allow for this. As noted by

the faculty member, higher education was originally built to justify the privileges that white

elite persons and families held by having a degree of higher learning.

As students, faculty, and staff have pushed for the systems that continue to

perpetuate Whiteness, the need for inclusive education and practices has become a very

high priority for universities and campuses. There is a value placed on work and

scholarship that has originated from mostly white, cis-gendered men. Many works are

considered to be classics because they have been used for centuries over other works done

by persons of color or other marginalized identities. The outcry for diverse and inclusive

scholarship in the educational setting is strong and hard to grapple with since it pushes

higher education leaders to put pressure on faculty to change their ways of teaching. This

can be seen as an infringement of academic freedom for faculty members. The faculty

member I interviewed shared how faculty white men have been the ones who define what

is essential to a student’s learning in a specific field.

Another major tension that arises around Diversity and Inclusion is the debate

about Affirmative Action. Affirmative Action is the practice of giving more value to

individuals who hold marginalized identities so that they receive benefits they would

otherwise not receive. Many white individuals have spoken out against this practice in

admissions and recruitment saying how this is a discriminatory practice against those with

privileged backgrounds. There have even been arguments from those with marginalized

backgrounds on how quota systems that are illegal are being used to create diverse

populations solely on race instead of considering individuals holistically. The topic of

affirmative action is very nuanced and a tool that has potential to support students from
Critical Issue 3

diverse backgrounds, but is used by the dominant culture and current systems that exist to

continue and perpetuate inequality and inequity.

Recommendations

Thinking about the dominant culture, we can see how the current systems that exist

in higher education as well as the systems that higher education is a part of can continue to

value whiteness. Going forward, the individuals who hold greater power in higher

education must be conscious and proactive in their own development and critical thinking

of their own knowledge and awareness. The assistant vice president emphasized a major

point of how white people must do the work themselves if there is going to be change. As a

person of color, I have sometimes been frustrated with white individuals in not being able

to or not willing to do the work that they need to do. It is hard to balance pushing someone

to do work while also giving them the space to push forward on their own.

The assistant vice president emphasized that if change is to happen, white people

need to be included and apart of undoing the systems that exist. Those who benefit from

the system must be the ones to support those changes and do the work of realizing their

own biases. Once they are able to do their own work and learning, change and progress can

happen. For institutional leaders that are white and hold higher leadership positions, the

biggest recommendation that can be given is to begin doing the work on your own biases

and position in the system. If leaders are showing and demonstrating they are doing this

work, then this will have huge impacts on students, faculty, and staff who are also white to

do their own work and progression to better be equipped to make change happen.

Another major recommendation for institutions is to consider what students want

to learn in their higher education experience. I believe having open discussion with faculty

and students to better met students’ needs is important to create change and more
Critical Issue 4

inclusive material when it comes to coursework. If academic freedom is an issue, then why

can’t professors choose to provide different materials and present works created by non-

white men. Even if faculty were to choose different works, diversifying the curriculum

should include student voices so that they can be heard and seen. Otherwise, the same

result may arise if faculty are not given ideas or direction on what to change.

Higher educational leaders should be the ones to initiate these conversations

between faculty and students. It puts two positive and important messages to the rest of

the university. The first is being present and ready to support this change and support this

work. As persons in positions of power, the minimum of being present for conversations

shows how upper leadership is committed and finds these conversations valuable enough

for their time. If this is a priority for leaders, then others will recognize that and realize the

importance of this work. Related to white individuals participating in enacting change,

leadership of institutions need to be a part of the change in order for it to happen.

The second message is that leadership is willing to be apart of these conversations

and values this work. By facilitating and setting up these conversations, it shows how

leadership is committed to making change and wanting to support the university in it’s

growth. There is one caveat to this approach. If persons in leadership positions are not well

trained or ready to take on these conversations, it could create a volatile or ineffective

space and conversation that doesn’t push forward or allow either side to understand the

other. By being ready to engage in conversations, this makes for a more productive and

progressive conversation that allows both sides to be understood and come to better

solutions.

The two messages above both derive from the larger theme of having a commitment

to the work. Leaders in higher education must be committed to creating inclusive spaces
Critical Issue 5

for them to be able to create change and push the work forward. Without a commitment,

leaders aren’t pushed to challenge the dominant culture and end up ignoring or

overlooking marginalized identities. By committing to the work, this allows marginalized

identities to voice their concerns and allow leaders to make more informed decisions and

plans when it comes to creating diverse and inclusive spaces.

Conclusion

Leaders in higher education have a lot of political power and positional strength to

enact change. Diversity and Inclusion is an important issue that is growing more prevalent

every day. If institutions of higher education are to truly be inclusive, it will need to have all

members be present and ready to make change. Whether that be white people, senior

leaders, or white senior leaders, everyone must be ready to make change and progress

together. Otherwise, change won’t be effective and we will continue to live in the systems

that exist today.