The Diverse Democracy and Higher Education Project
Higher Education Governance: Through an Equity Lens
The Big Question: How can higher education governance structures (i.e., Boards of Trustees) best respond to changing student demographics while balancing other internal and external demands?
Why this initiative?: The governance structures of higher education are still largely dominated by men and white people. Unsurprisingly, much of the research about governance lacks a critical lens and as a result "diversity and inclusion" efforts become the responsibility of other campus stakeholders. Our efforts in this area bring a fresh and critical perspective to the research and practice of governance in hopes that an equity lens translates to institutional change that supports a range of student needs and concerns.
What's new?: We are approaching this initiative through a multi-pronged strategy that includes:
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Editorials targeted at members of Boards of Trustees
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Applying critical frameworks to empirical investigations of goverance structures
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Facilitating intentional dialogue between researchers and governance bodies for training and development purposes
What's the goal?: Governance structures that are equity focused are more likely to craft and implement policies and environments that foster success for all students. Our goal is to produce research-informed resources that empower and hold accountable the people and procedures that are so consequential to the experiences of students.