The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a trustee as “a natural or legal person (institution) to whom property is legally committed to be administered for the benefit of a beneficiary (such a person, charitable organization or college). It is therefore imperative that the board of trustees particularly in a given college is representative of its demographic trends. This will ensure that the parties being represented (herein college populace of student, tutors and non-teaching staff), and the parties representing them are all operating on the same wavelength and as such some semblance of true interests-representation might be attained.
Diversity may be ascribed to as the variation in social, economic, political and/ or cultural identities among people living and/ or working within the same geographical establishment. There are adequate empirical findings to suggest that diversity improves the overall knowledge pool, enhances understanding, fosters creativity and innovation as well as improve decision–making at a strategic level. As such; it would be naturally expected for colleges from where most of these studies emanate to have significantly embraced diversity in their boards of trustees. This is however, not the case in most community colleges, as numerous studies including a study commissioned by Princeton University (2013), The Journal of International Social Research (2008) and Vaughan and Weisman (1997) amongst other have found.
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The main factor contributing to this is the lack of a clear emphasis for the realization of a truly diverse board of trustees. Most community colleges, deliberately or otherwise, lack an operating framework, with possible quotas for the perceived minorities, in instituting workforce diversity. Support for an all-inclusive campus culture coupled with revised diversity-oriented recruitment, admission and enrollment initiatives for those who come to learn, to teach, to work or even to represent (trustees) may boost a larger diversity-strategic plan.
Individual and communal perceptions, real or imagined, also play a big role in exacerbating the diversity distortion in our community colleges. Actions by the trustees or its top management might create a crisis that quickly disintegrates into a full blown diversity issue. All the college populace must, at all times, feel they belong to that institution, whereas the institution should put in place safety nets to cushion these perceived minorities. This helps eliminate the bias of “This is a rick-kids’ school, or black kids’ school, or white kids’ school and so on” – it is from these biases that self-seclusion begins. Institutions must therefore be in the forefront to communicate and practice their diversity vibrancy to reverse any negative influences and perceptions diversity misrepresentations. External funding, and other non-funding support, can be extended by these colleges to support diversity-related courses in the community to foster a positive image.
The establishment of an oversight and monitoring unit will ensure the gains made on diversity are not lost. This will be achieved by setting of appropriate benchmarks (minimum standards), comparative metrics, accountability and reward mechanism as well as training, guidance and resource allocation towards the attainment of an all-inclusive diverse culture amongst the students, tutors, other workers and more so their trustees.
In a nutshell; the disparity between the college populace and their representatives in the board of trustees in most community colleges is wanting but a lot of awareness creation on this issue of diversity is slowly turning the tide. More and more community colleges are waking up to this reality, and conducting self-assessment to establish their current positions. The next phase would be the re-direction of efforts towards reversing the negative effects of diversity-disparities. With this in place; the institutions will surely reap from enhancement of intellectual and socio-economic development from a wider range of perspectives associated with increased diversity
References
Marimuthu, M (2005): Ethnic Diversity on Boards of Directors and Its Implications on Firm Financial Performance
Princeton University (Sept, 2013): Report of the Trustees on the Ad Hoc committee on Diversity.
