Diversity in Higher Education: The Three Rs

Research indicates that a diverse student body is beneficial for education. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation standards also include a commitment to diversity. In California, as well as in some other states, preferential treatment in admissions to bring about a diverse student body is against the law, which may be problematic for some universities (Golden, 2003). Many schools have struggled with this dilemma of developing diversity in the campus population. In this article, the authors examine diversity in the student body, and the role of recruitment, retention, and relationship building. The authors propose a conceptual model for successfully enhancing student diversity. They also present the implementation of the model developed at a California university and discuss the benefits of the study to the students as well as the employers.