Proposed NASPAA Diversity Standard
Standards for Professional Masters Degree Programs in Public Affairs, Policy, Administration:
Proposed NASPAA Diversity Standard
x.0 Diversity:
x.1 Faculty Diversity.
x.1.1 Recruitment. The faculty shall be diverse with respect to such dimensions as race, ethnicity, gender, and disability, with particular attention to the inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups. Programs that do not meet this standard shall present evidence of a plan to implement actions that increase faculty diversity. Programs and plans to ensure faculty diversity shall generally reflect NASPAA's Diversity Guidelines.
x.1.2 Program Environment. Programs must demonstrate openness to faculty from differing intellectual perspectives and diverse cultures and identities.
x.2 Student Diversity.
x.2.1. Recruitment. The composition of students shall be diverse with respect to such dimensions as race, ethnicity, gender, and disability, with particular attention to the inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups. Programs that do not meet this standard shall present evidence of a plan to implement actions that increase student diversity. Programs and plans to ensure student diversity shall generally reflect NASPAA's Diversity Guidelines.
x.2.2 Program Environment. Programs must demonstrate openness to students from differing intellectual perspectives and diverse cultures, and identities.
x.3 Diversity Across the Curriculum. Program activities must prepare students to work in and contribute to diverse workplaces and communities. Consequently, courses, curriculum materials, and other program activities should expose students to differences relating to social identity categories, such as race, ethnicity, gender, class, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, and disability.
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[Note: The new standard would replace the old language in Standard 5.5 Faculty Diversity: “There should be evidence that specific plans are being implemented to assure the diversity of the composition of the faculty with respect to the representation of minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. Programs and plans to insure faculty diversity shall generally reflect NASPAA's Diversity Guidelines.” And the language in Standard 6.1 Admission Goals and Standards, which states, “…and reflecting specific concern for the representation of minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. Programs and plans designed to insure student diversity shall generally reflect NASPAA's Diversity Guidelines.]
posted by NASPAA Blog @ 5:08 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
x.2.2 Program Environment. Programs must demonstrate openness to students from differing intellectual perspectives and diverse cultures, and identities.
The above proposed standard relative to Program Environment is directed at students . A parallel section is directed at faculty (program environment)
My comment addresses the need for expanding this standard with specific reference to persons with disabilities. The significant limitation for these folks relative to program environment is not only on "openness" by faculty/student/staff, but is singularly dependent on access and assurances of provision of: assistive technologies, electronic accessibility and classroom accommodations. Absent these assistive technology accommodations, faculty and students with disabilities are unable to function in an academic environment andp laces them at a distinct disadvantage even if/when recruited.
While the other diversity categories of: race, ethnicity and gender do not require these accommodations--"openness" (i.e., acceptance/welcoming)" being sufficient, this is simply NOT THE CASE for persons with physical challenges. It would be important for NASPAA to include the necessity of accommodations, specifically as this is and has been a mandate and direction of the federal government agencies relative to providing access to its electronic websites under Section 508 (http://www.section508.gov).
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph Drew, PhD
Coordinator, Kent-MPA Program
jdrew@kent.edu
How to encourage respect for cultural diversity is a worthy aspiration but a tricky business, and NASPAA needs to be very careful.
1. In light of the recent court decision against University of Michigan's race and sex based admissions preference system it would seem that NASPAA is willing to put some member schools in a very precarious situation legally.
2. Do we really want NASPAA to establish criteria that admissions and hiring decisions are based on who your parents are, whether you have testicles or not, and the color of your skin? Indeed, these have been tacit criteria in the past; making them explicit is a necessary part of the discourse. However, enshrining illegitimate criteria into NASPAA standards is hardly the way to transcend the problem of prejudice.
3. These criteria will be easy for us in South Florida to meet because there is such multicultural diversity down here. North Dakota may have a more difficult time of it. Yet there is no situational contingency built into these standards -- instead I see arrogance of the my-size-fits-all variety.
4. I suspect that the practical effect on NASPAA of these criteria, if approved, will be to decrease its prestige and legitimacy.
-Hugh Miller
As a group,our faculty looked at the proposed standards and have some concerns we would like to express.
1. Recruiting faculty to a small program, at a small public university is challenging. It is extremely difficult for schools like ours to compete with flagship institutions (with deep pockets) for the limited number of minority PhDs available. Unfortunately, the draft standard is not clear as to whether ALL faculty in the program are the subject or only the faculty nucleus. It is obviously easier to satisfy diversity concerns when part-time and practitioner faculty can be considered.
2. We agree with Hugh Miller's comments concerning the recent court cases involving student admissions.
3. We also have concerns about the "diversity across the curriculum" standard. While there are certainly many courses where diversity fits quite well with the course and its objectives, it does not fit in every course. How much is enough to satisfy this standard?
MPA Faculty
Augusta State University
This is a strangely amphibian standard that will waddle when it walks and splash when it swims. Worse yet, it may not be able to locomote at all since the "differing intellectual perspectives" required in 1.2 Program Environment may well clash with the lock-step demographic proportions mandated in 1.1 Recruitment. More to the point, as a previous commenter noted, what is an open and honest faculty member to do if his intellectual perspective would have led him to vote with the majority on the anti-affirmative action initiatives in California or Washington or Michigan yet the NASPAA Diversity Standard commits his program to affirmative action?
Prof. of Public Affairs at CUNY
In my review of speeches of the past six presidents of NASPAA, all acknowledged that we live in a diverse society. All six challenged NASPAA to meet the needs of this ever increasing diversity. The proposed NASPAA diversity standards serve as an affirmation of the articulations of NASPAA’s leadership. I applaud this initiative.
With thirty years of experience in the area of equal employment opportunity behind me, I unfortunately, still hear the assertions of academic employers claiming they cannot find qualified minorities and those that are available have all been scooped up by flagship universities. “Balderdash and Poppycock” is my response to such assertions. As a minority male with a terminal degree in public administration, I regret to say that there are a number of institutions out there that have no interest whatsoever in including me or other minorities in their full-time workforce. I am delighted that NASPAA‘s leadership seems to understand this and has addressed the issue through its proposed diversity standards.
Charles E. Mitchell
Troy University
I, too, agree with Mr. Miller as well as the Augusta State University faculty.
Diversity is a lofty and laudable goal that makes great sound-bites for the media, but is far more difficult to practice than to preach.
Programs have a difficult enough time finding qualified instructors, especially at small universities such as ASU, without having to worry about whether they are diverse enough.
Additionally, MPA students do not just grow on trees. The only way to truly gain a diverse student population is to have an open program that encourages students to enroll. You just cannot require a program to enroll X number of students if they are not available, and if they are available you certainly want the best from whichever walk of life they hail from.
NASPAA really needs to take to heart the maxim, "One size does not fit all".
Phil Stavale
MPA 2006 Graduate
Augusta State University
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