University administrators would like to improve diversity on campus, and they are asking another university president for advice on how to do it.
Dr. Elson Floyd, president of Western Michigan University, was invited to visit the University in July to discuss issues related to diversity with University faculty and students.
After a second scheduled visit in October, Floyd will submit a report to administrators recommending steps the University can take toward improving campus diversity, he said.
During his visit, Floyd said he had “a wonderful opportunity to meet with a cross-section of students, faculty and staff of the University.”
He asked those he interviewed about the impact diversity-related issues have both inside and outside the classroom at the University, he said, and was pleased with the candid responses he received.
“Everyone was very forthcoming and very clear about many of the issues surrounding diversity,” he said.
Floyd declined to comment on his initial impressions of the University. He said he needs more time to form any conclusions and is looking forward to talking with more students during his second visit.
Carla Gary, the director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, was among the administrators Floyd met with. She said she was impressed with his honesty and his knowledge of past and current campus diversity initiatives.
“Though my conversation with him was little more than an hour,” she said, “I came away from it with the sense that he had truly done his homework and was earnest in his efforts to truly understand the culture and the climate of this campus as regards diversity, multiculturalism and inclusion.”
Floyd also met with several students, including ASUO Vice President Joy Nair, and representatives from the Multicultural Center.
Initially, Nair said, she and other members of the ASUO questioned the purpose and timing of Floyd’s visit. But, she said, she was pleased to learn he would be coming back to the University in the fall when more students would be around.
During her meeting with him, she said, she and other student leaders stressed the importance of student involvement in diversity issues on campus.
“We made it very clear that the majority of diversity initiatives [at the University] are run and funded by students,” she said.