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At UCR 'Real' Diversity Matters |
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Thursday, 20 November 2008 |
By Chris Levister --
On the surface Timothy P. White is a bundle of energy, who is serious about providing highquality education and whose motto is: “Every student is a gift and every child deserves an
opportunity to succeed”.
If first impressions are any indication, then Tim White’s new job as
chancellor of UC Riverside will be a cakewalk.
The faculty and staff have a “can-do spirit”, the students are “inspiring” and the community
“is the bedrock,” he said. Less than six months after grabbing the baton at UCR, White by all
accounts is a huge hit on and off campus.
The scene during a recent rally at the foot of the university’s landmark bell tower was hectic
and surreal. White dressed in a blue UCR T-sheet was the belle of the ball as students, faculty, and administrator’s snapped pictures with cell phones and jockeyed for snippets of conversation.
“What’s your ambition,” he asked a knot of students of color gathered around him.
Later when asked to describe snapshots of the event he uses words like: “joy,” “excitement”,
“anticipation”. “Look at those faces,” he says with a wide grin.
“He’s a rock star, he’s hot,” That’s a student. “Bright, thought provoking, transparent.” That’s a
faculty member. “Shifting paradigms, shaking things up,” That’s an administrator.
There won’t be much of a honeymoon for White though.
Challenges of deep funding cuts and a hiring freeze fueled by the state’s worsening budget crisis coupled with festering racial tensions, a paucity of Black and Latino faculty and what some senior UCR officials and community leaders describe as a “shameful” record of retaining and graduating students of color will see to that.
The 10-campus University of California released a report last week that projects a 9.4% hike for
most in-state student fees, not including books and housing.
Additionally UC officials warn it might have to limit admission to its most popular campuses and
send more students to those with extra space, typically Riverside and Merced.
Many predict that the dire consequences will push long term diversity goals to the back burner
in a region where education often takes a back seat to family and financial difficulties. And where outreach programs aimed at recruiting, retention and graduation of minority students usually are among the first on the chopping block.
With a student enrollment of more than 17,000, Blacks comprise 7.1% of the student population
(1,277). Whites make up 68.3% (491) of UCR Ladder Rank (tenured) faculty compared
with 3.2% (23) Black, of that 1 African-American faculty is in the university’s STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) 18.2% (131) Asian, 5.0% (36) Hispanic, 6% (4) Amer-Indian.
Chancellor White insists while he is troubled by a state that does not practice affirmative action he remains committed to the university’s goals of providing access and equity.
“In raising money and making our case with communities and governments at-large, the leadership, from the chancellor, deans and others has to not only talk about developing a diverse population and programs, but do it and believe in it.”
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