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Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions pp 1–5Cite as

Diversity and Higher Education

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Synonyms

Heterogeneity; Inclusion; Multicultural; Pluralism; Social justice

Definition

The representation and inclusion of individuals from a broad range of cultural, physical, and psychological categories within postsecondary education, with a particular emphasis on those who are historically underserved or underrepresented.

What Is Diversity?

Colleges and universities have come to embrace the notion of diversity. For example, many include diversity as part of their institutional mission. Campuses often include a “diversity course” for students as a requirement to graduate. Advertisements for faculty and professional staff positions ask applicants to include a statement on their philosophy of diversity. There are also campuses that evaluate how faculty engage with diversity as a criterion for promotion and tenure. However, there is a general lack of clarity in regard to the definition of diversity and what is meant when the term is used. The dissenting opinion by Clarence Thomas in...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Kimberly Griffin

  2. Office of Graduate Studies, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Jeni Hart

Authors
  1. Kimberly Griffin
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  2. Jeni Hart
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kimberly Griffin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Jung Cheol Shin

  2. CIPES, Faculty of Economics, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Pedro Teixeira

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Griffin, K., Hart, J. (2016). Diversity and Higher Education. In: Shin, J., Teixeira, P. (eds) Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_35-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_35-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-017-9553-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-9553-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

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