The topic I’ve chosen for my Course Project is Minorities in Higher Education. I chose
this topic because I am a minority who has been an undergraduate student and is currently an
employee and graduate student in higher education. I’ve seen so many things negatively assumed
about minorities who are just trying to make their way in higher education, whether that be as a
student or an employee. I think this was the best topic for me to research given my personal ties
to the subject and the amount of information that can be learned from this topic.
I have found this topic worthwhile to study because there are several definitions of
diversity in relation to higher education. For example, chapter 3 in this course’s textbook is
named “Diversity and Adversity: Resilience in American Higher Education, 1860 to 1890”;
however, the type of diversity I’m looking to research isn’t mentioned. The book refers to having
women in education and the development of what we call ‘student life’ as diversity and
adversity. I understand for the time it’s covering, that would be considered diversity. The issue
with that is this book was published originally in 2004; therefore, it should have been able to
include something about racial minorities in the diversity chapter. Within this chapter, we learn
about land-grant universities created under the Morrill Act such as the University of Kentucky,
Oregon State University, and Clemson University (Thelin, 2019) but there is no mention of any
of the 19 HBCUs which were also land-grant universities under that same act (Council of 1890s
Institutions - APLU, 2022). There is a plethora of lessons to be learned from researching this
topic. One thing I plan to explore is the Black experience in higher education. Merz begins to
explore the “long standing norms and values rooted in white, male western ideology are
privileged in the academy and sanctioned by long use. They dominate the culture and ways of
thinking and are perpetuated through their institutionalization in the structure and the way in
which individuals are selected and socialized within the academy” (2011). This is just one of
many research findings showing the Black experience is holistically different from their white
counterparts.
The topic relates to current practices because it’s not generally considered outside of
HBCUs. The Black experience – and that of other minorities in general – is proven to be one that
is plagued by inequalities and dismissals. Mary F. Howard-Hamilton used the example of
Representative Maxine Walters’ now famous phrase “reclaiming my time” when the Treasurer
Secretary attempted to manipulate and dismiss her line of questioning in comparison to the
Black, female experience in higher education, “Black women in higher education are
experiencing similar stalling, stone walling, and diversion tactics regarding our inclusion in the
academy” (2023). In my experience, things that are important to people don’t get ignored; and
things people aren’t scared of don’t get adamantly rejected. My research on this topic has shown
me that the Black experience in general is not important to universities. This is not to say that
every single school ignores it, but that Black students and employees just aren’t considered in
higher education outside of HBCUs. My intention in studying this topic is to do a deep dive into
why Black students are dismissed when looking at the holistic student.
Biblically speaking, this topic presents the issue of a clear separation within the
experiences provided to minorities who are in higher education. Galatians 3:28 says “there is
neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one
in Christ Jesus.” (New International Bible, 1973/2023) This verse is talking about equality under
the umbrella of Christianity. In relation to the topic of minorities in higher education, I think this
verse speaks directly to the topic. We shouldn’t be looking at each group of people individually,
just as we are all one in Christ, we are all one in academia – or, at least, we should be. As it
stands, the Black experience in higher education isn’t one we should all be proud of, but it
doesn’t have to stay that way. God instructs us to “...act justly and to love mercy and to walk
humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8) (New International Bible, 1973/2023). This is a reminder
that we already know the difference between right and wrong, and we should be doing
everything we can to close the gap in the experience differential. We are not to see or hold
ourselves in higher esteem than anyone else because at the end of the day, God sees us all the
same and He is instructing us to follow him in that quest. As it relates to the topic at hand, we are
all supposed to seek God and His word first. Since His word instructs us to seek equality and
equity, that is the goal.
In conclusion, my Course Project will be me searching for every angle I can find of what
the Black experience is across the country. I intend to seek out the most common issues and look
for solutions for them. The Black experience in higher education is not something we should be
proud of in general, but it is something we can all join together to make changes to.
References
Bhopal, K. (2018). The experiences of black and minority ethnic academics: a comparative
study of the unequal academy. Routledge.
Council of 1890s Institutions - APLU. (2022). APLU. https://www.aplu.org/councils/1890-
universities/council-of-1890s-institutions/#:~:text=APLU
Howard-Hamilton, M. F. (2023). Black Women in higher education reclaiming our time. New
Directions for Student Services, 2023, 5–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20462
Mertz, N.T. (2011), "Chapter 3 Women of color faculty: Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention",
Jean-Marie, G. and Lloyd-Jones, B. (Ed.) Women of Color in Higher Education:
Changing Directions and New Perspectives (Diversity in Higher Education, Vol. 10),
Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 41-71. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-
3644(2011)0000010007
New International Bible. (2011). Zondervan. (Original work published 1973).
Thelin, J. R. (2019). A history of American higher education (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University
Press.
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