Department
Educational Leadership
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2010
Abstract
In January of 2007, Kennesaw State University (KSU), a comprehensive state university in the southeastern United States, embarked on the trail to garner an understanding of the extent to which diversity is embedded in the curriculum, scholarship, and creative activities of the campus. This project, the KSU Diversity and Equity Assessment Initiative, consisted of four separate work teams, and each team was charged with assessing the state of diversity in a specific area of the institution. Each work team was comprised of both faculty and staff representatives from all seven colleges on the KSU campus. For the purpose of this project, diversity focused on age, ability/exceptionality, ethnicity, family structure/gender, geographic region/language, religion, sexual orientation/identity, and socioeconomic status. The focus of this paper is to report the processes utilized to assess the level of diversity in the Coles College of Business curriculum and faculty scholarship. The Education and Scholarship Diversity research team analyzed diversity in the curricular offerings of Kennesaw State University and the coverage of diversity topics in the scholarship (including research and creative activities) of KSU faculty members. While a previous diversity group had prepared a preliminary course title analysis, the team decided that a list of course titles that suggest diversity topic coverage was limiting for several reasons. The team decided to solicit information directly from faculty members regarding course coverage and research activities that address diversity topics. Direct data collection allowed for analysis of both completed works and works in development. Additionally, the team interviewed business school leadership in order to solicit information and the perspectives of the dean regarding curriculum and scholarship efforts addressing diversity. Other activities included collecting information from peer and aspirant institutions and contributing questions to campus focus groups regarding curriculum and scholarship diversity. The "Diversity Inventory" became the primary focus of the team's work during Spring 2007. The inventory combined information directly reported by the faculty on diversity in the curriculum and in research and creative activity. The overall response rate was an impressive 45.7% of all Coles College of Business faculty.
Journal Title
Academy of Educational Leadership Journal
Volume
14
First Page
109
Last Page
119