Enhancing Campus Climates for Racial/Ethnic Diversity: Educational Policy and Practice

Abstract: This paper summarizes findings from classic and contemporary research on campus racial climate according to a four-dimensional model: (a) an institution’s historical legacy of inclusion or exclusion of various racial/ethnic groups, (b) its structural diversity, or the numerical representation of various racial/ethnic groups, (c) the psychological climate of perceptions and attitudes between and among groups, and (d) the behavioral climate, of campus intergroup relations. For each dimension, the paper recommends ways to enhance educational policy.