Cultural diversity remains a hot topic across college campuses nationwide. College bound students are now seriously considering the diversity of the campuses that intrigue them when making their academic decisions. UW-La Crosse is hoping to keep pace with these growing trends in student globalization by opening their arms to students of all backgrounds.
Commitment to diversity is at the forefront of UW-L’s academic mission. The school’s continued commitment was rewarded by receiving the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award earlier this year. Efforts within the university continue by implementing newly developed methods of recruiting students, faculty and staff of varying backgrounds.
“There has been a focus on bringing diverse high school students to visit campus,” said Barbara Stewart, the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at UW-L, “and more reaching out to diverse communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota.”
How does UW-L rank within the UW System? According to the most recent UW System Fact Book, published in 2013, UW-L falls 7th on the list with approximately 11.4  percent students of color/international students, a number that has seen a steady increase over recent years. UW-L precedes UW-Parkside (27.8 percent students of color), UW-Milwaukee (26.4 percent), UW- Madison (26 percent), UW-Superior (15 percent), UW-Whitewater (14.6 percent) and UW-Green Bay (12 percent).
UW-L still falls below the UW-System’s Average percentage of students of color, which is 13.3 percent.
According to the Job Group Analysis Report for this academic year, of the 1221 faculty members at UW-L, 90 percent are white and 51 percent are female.
The 2014 Inclusive Excellence Report, compiled by Stewart, states that the numbers of international students/students of color aren’t startling, but they’re promising due to numbers previous to 2008 being nearly static.
However, the university remains optimistic in its ongoing mission.
UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow said in his Diversity and Inclusion statement, “An atmosphere that fosters the exploration of issues from multiple perspectives fosters academic exploration and growth.”
The Inclusive Excellence Report tracked UW-L’s progress from 2009 to 2013. During that time span, the total headcount of students rose by over 500, and the percentage of students of color rose from 6.8 percent to 8.4 percent. On the contrary, the percentage of international students dropped from 3.8% to 3.0 percent.
The focus is on making UW-L more culturally diverse. Stewart believes if students feel that faculty and staff have more cultural competence, it creates a level of comfort for students, which allows them to direct their focus on academics and not how they’re interpreted from a cultural perspective.
“The continued focus on helping UW-L become more culturally aware will allow our campus to be competitive on a global stage,” Stewart said.
The university has started partnerships with particularly diverse middle schools as a way to start the process of introducing UW-L to students as they begin deciding not necessarily what school to attend, but whether or not to even attend college.