Penn State has taken many strides to improve the diversity across the campuses, in both faculty and staff and the student population. In a released statement by the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity, A Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State: 2010-15 addressed how the university plans to increase diversity. They recognize diversity is more than just a percentage of a particular race, it is a culmination of different backgrounds, cultures, thoughts, socioeconomic groups, and much more. To ensure diversity, the university concluded to create a more individualized path for students. If students can have a more flexible and wide range of majors to choose from, they will be more inclined to enjoy their college experience and stay at Penn State. From a student perspective, I definitely feel like this is achieved. There is a plethora of majors to select from at Penn State and students are constantly creating their own minors.
In today’s economic climate this may not be as effective as the intention. Many middle class families who look fine on paper cannot afford to put more than one child through college at a time. Younger siblings are commonly told they have to go to less expensive universities than their dream school or they are forced to take out loans. This is a heart-wrenching reality many Americans are facing each year through application season to decision day. To combat the economic disparity in the student population, Penn State primarily grants need-based aid rather than merit-based to ensure those who are qualified and genuinely need financial assistance can attend the university. The idea is to prevent scholarships from being given to students who can otherwise pay the full tuition. There are a variety of specific scholarships for students who want to attend Penn State to increase the diversity. Some of these include for first-generation college students, full rides for students from select Philadelphia high schools, and the Renaissance Fund for “the brightest and the neediest”. Penn State is aware of how expensive college is getting and is actively trying to alleviate some of these cost and financial burdens students typically experience.
Penn State wants to create a more inclusive environment for its faculty and students, where we can truly feel like a cohesive community with a variety of voices, figures, and opinions. In the upcoming decade, the majority of the baby boomer generation will retire, freeing up employment positions in institutions across the country, including Penn State. This opens an opportunity for the university to increase diversity in the employees by hiring new, fresh people to these positions. Penn State’s Office of Human Resources began a hiring initiative called Hire Power, “Hire Power training emphasizes strategic hiring practices, identifying the necessary competencies for the job, and keeping staff hiring practices consistent and in alignment with Affirmative Action practices” (Office). Because many affirmative action policies prevent certain specific practices, institutions need to be strategic about how they curate diversity without being discriminatory by simply looking at demographics and numbers.
Penn State has also taken efforts to ensure a diverse supply chain. “Supplier Diversity Program, established to ensure that woman-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, and HUBZone-certified businesses have full opportunity to compete for the University’s business. Informational seminars are offered through the University and the state of Pennsylvania to increase participation. Through the Supplier Diversity Program, units can ensure that the University’s diversity values are reflected in the community vendors with which they do business” (Office). Along with the Supplier Diversity Program, the university is also focusing on retention of employees and students. Diverse employees are more likely to leave their position on their own, an issue the University is attempting to change. Through affirmative action, the university should find the root of the issue, what is making these qualified individuals leave a perfectly good job? The university has attempted to expand the child-care program, though it is one of the largest at a public university, broaden a mentorship program, and dual-career support to improve retention. While all of these initiatives can make a difference, where it really comes from is the individual departments. It is up to the colleges and departments to ensure their staff feel welcome and purposeful.
Sources:
Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity . “A Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State: 2010-15.” Penn State Educational Equity , p. Challenge 3 & 4 , equity.psu.edu/framework.
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While I knew that Penn State had various programs in place to better diversify campus, I never knew the extent to which they are committed to diversity both in their student and faculty makeup, as well as in their community. I was surpised especially to hear about their efforts in diversifying the different types of companies that they work with on campus, because I think business is an aspect of diversity that we tend to ignore when thinking about the subject. That being said, I think Penn State still has a lot of work to do considering the student and faculty population is still overwhelmingly white.
It is good to see what efforts Penn State has put forth in order to create and maintain diversity. It is easy to increase the number of students from different backgrounds but it is not easy to make them feel comfortable. I also didn’t know that staff from diverse backgrounds are more likely to leave jobs on their own.