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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, CHICO COLLEGE OF
BUSINESS
BUSINESS RESOURCE CENTER
A DIVERSITY INITIATIVE TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN A DIVERSE STUDENT
BODY, ENSURE ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS,
VALUE AND RECOGNIZE THE CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALL STUDENTS,
AND CREATE A MODEL PLURALISTIC CAMPUS COMMUNITY.
Background
Diversity is Essential to High Quality Education
During the last decade, research efforts to explore the
connection between diversity and educational excellence have
received widespread support. As a result, there is a large body of
literature that provides unequivocal evidence that diversity is
absolutely essential to a high quality educational experience. As
educators have gained a profound understanding of the extent to
which diversity is inextricably linked to teaching and learning,
their industry partners have also recognized the critical role of
diversity in preparing students for work in a global marketplace.
They are now demanding that students are provided with exposure to
the people, experiences, and curriculum that will enable them to
successfully navigate in a workplace that is more socially and
ethnically diverse than ever before. During the course of a single
decade, diversity has become accepted as one of the primary
characteristics on which academic institutions should be
comprehensively assessed to determine the quality of their
programs. Despite this phenomenon and more than a decade of
programs initiated to increase diversity among students in
colleges and universities across the nation, admission and
graduation rates for U.S. minority students remain significantly
lower than those of white students. Although there now exists a
number of models for increasing diversity on college and
university campuses, progress is slow.
The Western Association of Colleges and Universities, in its
statement on diversity, defines diversity in three different
dimensions:
- Representation: This dimension is concerned with achieving
equity in terms of the matriculation and graduation of persons
from those ethnic groups that have been historically
under-represented in postsecondary education.
- Community on
Campus: This dimension is concerned with the character of the
academic community that emerges through the interaction of people
of different backgrounds and points-of-view. Colleges and
universities must foster an environment that calls for respect and
collegiality among various groups represented within the
institution.
- Group Membership and Identification: This
dimension addresses the extent to which individuals and groups
should be recognized and affirmed by colleges and universities,
recognizing, also that each group will require a unique set of
support services to ensure successful recruitment, retention, and
graduation for all students.
Each of these dimensions must be addressed to provide students,
faculty, and staff with opportunities to broaden the range of
scientific and cultural topics on which students can exercise
discernment, logic, and balanced judgment. Failure to deliver on
one or more of these critical components significantly diminishes
teaching and learning.
A Success Story -
The Business Resource Center
In 1998, the California State University, Chico - College of
Business recognized and acknowledged a near complete lack of
diversity among its students. Determined to attract and serve a
diverse student body, the administration established the Business
Resource Center (BRC), a learning community with the mission of
recruiting and retaining a diverse population of business
students. Since that time, the BRC has helped hundreds of students
set and attain ambitious educational and professional goals;
providing academic advising, tutoring, mentoring, social support,
and leadership opportunities to the students who visit the center
each year.
The BRC Program has been tremendously successful, nearly
doubling the number of minority students enrolled in the College
of Business since 1997. Enrollments of African American and
Pacific Islander students more than doubled between 1997 and 2003,
and Hispanic student enrollments in 2003 were 64% higher than they
were six years earlier.
BRC programs and services include; " A strong parent
component to provide information and support to the families of
students who are the first in their family to attend college,
" Social activities and service learning opportunities that
help students successfully transition from high school to college
coursework and a positive social life, " The BRC Theme House,
a key component of the BRC Program, is located on the college
campus, providing housing to thirteen students from diverse
backgrounds. A unique housing option for students served by the
BRC, the Theme House serves as a wonderful example of a diverse
learning community where students from a variety of cultures and
backgrounds can learn and grow together. " A mentoring
component that links current BRC College students with incoming
freshmen, creating a support system and providing role models for
newly enrolled CSU, Chico students, " Activities designed to
utilize the BRC Theme House to provide a supportive and diverse
learning community, " Intensive academic support services,
including the development of individual education plans for all
students served by the project, thus increasing retention, and
" Activities designed to provide students with exposure to a
wide range of careers and to professionals from a variety of
backgrounds to broaden their aspirations for a bright future
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" …it is absolutely common for students in Chico to
experience culture shock…incoming freshmen and sophomores
experience the greatest amount of culture shock…If you grew up
in a predominately ethnic environment, when you come to Chico
everything's different. What do you do when your culture doesn't
fit in with the predominate culture? How do you compare yourself
when your culture, values, and sometimes academic background are
different and your physical features do not necessarily match
everyone around you? How do you survive?"
--C.C. Carter, Student Activities Office, CSU,
Chico, as quoted in the Orion - Dimensions, May 13, 1998
" Sea of
white faces leaves some students adrift". |
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Next Steps….
The administration of the College of Business considers
increased student diversity a high priority and is determined to
expand the BRC program, even now, when state funding levels have
waned. Despite additional cuts in state support in 2004/05, the
College of Business will devote itself to locating and securing
the funds and other resources necessary to continue the forward
momentum of the BRC. Existing services will be expanded to reach
more students and new services will be created.
New Partnerships:
The critical component for the BRC's current
success is the creation of partnerships with dynamic college
preparation programs that are already in place in high schools and
elementary schools. An existing partnership with the Ramona High
School in Riverside, California has generated the enrollment and
retention of students to Chico State from unrepresented groups
since 2001. The BRC Director works with the advisors and staff of
the Ramona High School Advancement Via Individual Determination
(AVID) program, which focuses on motivating low-income minority
students to develop and achieve ambitious educational goals. The
BRC facilitates enrollments of AVID students at Chico State and
provides support services to ensure their successful transition to
college level coursework and life in Chico. Services for Ramona
High School students will be expanded to include a visit to the
Chico campus for AVID juniors and seniors, enhanced parent
education, and a mentorship component that will link AVID students
with current BRC students who will serve as role models, creating
a support network for college-bound seniors and in-coming
Freshmen. The BRC will also develop a partnership with the College
of the Siskiyous Gear Up Program. Located in one of the poorest
and most ethnically diverse communities in the University's North
State region (and in the nation), Weed High School and Weed
Elementary School have worked in partnership with College of the
Siskiyous since 1999 to provide intensive college-prep instruction
and academic support services to students. The BRC will begin
working with Weed High School students in their Sophomore year,
with the most intensive services to be provided during the CSU,
Chico enrollment process and the first year of college. At the
heart of the partnership is a strong parent support component to
ensure that students and their parents have the information and
support they need to work together to develop a plan to prepare
for enrollment in college. Recruitment and enrollment materials in
a variety of languages will be provided, along with opportunities
for face-to-face meetings with students and their family members
to talk about instruction program and support service options.
Weed High School students will be connected to current BRC student
mentors from similar backgrounds to provide Freshmen with a
support system that will ease their transition to college.
New Strategies:
Because they share many common concerns,
students of color are frequently referred to as a single group.
Current research, however, indicates that there are enormous
social, economic, linguistic, and educational distinctions between
African American, Asian-American, Latino, and Native American
students and that there is no single strategy that will serve all
students equally well. To ensure retention of newly enrolled
students, each will meet with the BRC Director to develop a
personalized academic plan. Frequent interaction with the BRC
Director, through regular meetings and social gatherings will
create a bond between student and advisor that will support the
early identification of signs of impending academic failure or
poor adaptation to college life so that appropriate support can be
provided to the student.
How You Can Help
It is clear that the BRC has been tremendously successful. The
BRC has made an enormous difference in the lives of the students
it serves, has enhanced the quality of education for all students
attending the College of Business, and has assisted industry
partners which have benefited from access to a diverse pool of
talented graduates who are well-prepared to succeed in today's
global marketplace.
The BRC is supported largely through donations of time, talent,
and treasure from individuals and industry partners like you.
We need… " Monetary gifts to support student housing
expenses, book purchases, and student travel, " Individuals
who can serve as mentors to BRC students and high school students
who are preparing to attend the College of Business, "
Industry partners who can provide students with opportunities to
explore career options, " Individuals who can serve in an
advisory capacity on the BRC Advisory Board, and "
Individuals and industry partners who can assist with fundraising
and community service projects.
If you would like to be part of this exciting and worthwhile
project, please contact one of the following individuals. We would
be pleased to include you on the BRC team.
Gary McMahon: Assistant Dean - Student Services &
Accreditation, (530)
898-5272, gmcmahon@csuchico.edu
Dee Hoffman Wills: Assistant Dean - External Relations, (530) 898-4255, dhoffman-wills@csuchico.edu
Willie Hopkins, Ph.D. : Dean, (530) 898-6271, wehopkins@csuchico.edu
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