ABSTRACT
Th e last 50 years in higher education have witnessed signifi cant changes in regard to access for previously underrepresented student groups. Changes in federal laws, campus policies, and demographics have resulted in increased access for women, people of color, and students of limited fi nancial means. Th e Land Grant Acts of 1862 and 1890, the original G.I. Bill from 1944 and its recent modifi cations, the Higher Education Act of 1965, and the growth of public colleges and universities during the golden age of higher education of the 1960s were federal and state policies designed to increase access for a wide range of the U.S. population. In addition to U.S. citizens, access has increasingly been granted to international students (Institute of International Education, 2011). Th e presence of signifi cant numbers of international students has been used as proof of the strength of the U.S. system of higher education. A large number of theories and models are available to understand the complexity of diversity initiatives on college campuses. Aguirre and Martinez (2006) off ered two views, co-optation and transformation, as approaches to view leadership and management regarding campus diversity.
