Faculty and Curriculum: Examining Multicultural Competence and Inclusion

As multicultural research in student affairs literature diversifies and expands, new areas of study continue to emerge. Exploration of multicultural issues in student affairs preparation programs is one of those developing areas of research. Although some studies have been completed, there is limited information about the demographic composition of students and faculty members, exploration of multicultural issues within the curriculum, and the multicultural competence of faculty and staff. For student affairs practitioners to be more multiculturally competent in all aspects of their work, it is vital that diversity issues be effectively and systematically infused into preparation programs. Knowledge and understanding about faculty members who design curriculum and courses, supervise practica, and teach within student affairs preparation programs is essential to fully appreciate the strengths and challenges that exist in creating a more multiculturally sensitive and skilled profession.

The researchers gathered important information about faculty members who are teaching in student affairs programs, such as the amount of multicultural education and training they have received and their level of multicultural competence. Multicultural competence has been described as having the multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills essential for creating multicultural campuses (Pope & Reynolds, 1997). This knowledge can assist the profession in curricular transformation within preparation programs and designing additional multicultural education and training for faculty (cf., McEwen & Roper, 1994; Pope, Reynolds, & Mueller, 2004).

Talbot (1996) and Talbot and Kocarek (1997) gathered data about the gender, racial, and sexual orientation background of two distinct national samples of student affairs faculty members and graduate students. In Talbot's study, and Talbot and Kocarek's study, 84% and 92%, respectively of the faculty members were White, and 57% to 59% were male (Talbot & Kocarek). Racial background of the graduate students was somewhat similar with 82% being White; however, there were far fewer men (29%) among the students (Talbot). Talbot also reported that 8% of the graduate students identified themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Although these demographic results are somewhat dated and not necessarily indicative of the percentages found in the profession today, recent scholarly work supports the notion that the student affairs profession remains predominantly White (Liang & Sedlacek, 2002; Mueller, 1999).

In terms of the curriculum, data are limited regarding the degree to which multicultural issues are integrated in student personnel coursework. Talbot (1996) investigated student affairs master's students' perceptions of diversity within their academic program. She found that although almost 80% reported that diversity training was important to them individually, almost 60% perceived the overall level of diversity training in their program to be moderate or low. Although a majority of the students (66%) acknowledged that their faculty recommended taking diversity courses, only 31% said such courses were required. In a more recent study, Flowers (2003) surveyed coordinators of student affairs preparation programs (master's degree) and found that of the coordinators that responded to his survey, 74% reported that a diversity course was a required component of their student affairs curriculum.

Although no extensive review of the extent to which multicultural issues have been addressed within the student affairs literature has been completed to date, Banning, Ahuna, and Hughes (2000) explored the NASPA Journal articles focusing on race and ethnicity over the past 30 years. In their review they found that although the themes and foci within these articles have changed, the needs and concerns of students, faculty, and staff of color continue to receive limited attention. The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (2003) has suggested that multicultural issues be addressed in the curriculum within the areas of student development theory and student characteristics but neglected integrating multicultural issues into other significant areas of the curriculum such as organization and administration of student affairs, history and philosophy, organizational interventions, or assessment. Many multicultural scholars in student affairs do not believe that preparation programs are doing an adequate job of preparing graduates to effectively work in multicultural environments (Ebbers & Henry, 1990; Hoover, 1994; Liang & Sedlacek, 2002; McEwen & Roper, 1994; Pope & Reynolds, 1997).

The incorporation of multicultural knowledge as well as exploration of multicultural awareness and skills...