ABSTRACT
Numerous American colleges and universities have actively promoted racial/ethnic diversity through their mission statements, admissions policies, faculty and staff appointments, academic curriculum, and co-curricular programming. The University of Michigan itself has explicitly advanced the cause of racial/ethnic diversity, both in terms of current events and actions that took place during the time span of this study. Two decades ago, the University initiated a strategic plan called the “The Michigan Mandate,” which strove to increase and enhance several quantitative and qualitative objectives in terms of the recruitment, development, and achievement of its students, staff, and faculty of color. The Michigan Mandate resulted in the doubling of the number of students and faculty of color from 1987 to 1996, resulting in approximately 25 percent of the student body and 15 percent of the faculty from racial/ethnic minority groups (Duderstadt, 1996). Racial/ethnic diversity remains an important topic at the University of Michigan, not only because of the Supreme Court lawsuits, but also because the University considers a diverse environment to be a vital part of the educational process.
