Diversity in the university: how far have we come? – live chat
Diversity figures in UK universities have been labelled 'not good enough'. Join our live chat on Friday 3 May from 12pm to discuss progress, policy and best practice on the ground
Claire Shaw
@clurshaw
Tue 30 Apr 2013 13.19 EDT First published on Tue 30 Apr 2013 13.19 EDT
Diversity is an issue for UK universities both in staff and student recruitment. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian
A recent study commissioned by the Higher Education Academy shows that fewer than 10 graduates from black Caribbean and Bangladeshi minority groups are making the transition to research degrees each year. HEA chief executive Craig Mahoney says the situation "plainly isn't good enough – the postgraduate population should reflect the full range of talent and diversity in the population as a whole".
But as universities juggle competing priorities of boosting recruitment, gaining research funding and enhancing student experience, has the push to increase access and diversity taken a step back?
Research shows in the Russell Group universities, black and Asian students are under-represented, partly because they are less likely to apply to these universities but also because they are less likely to be admitted when they do. Figures show 6.6% of students at these universities from 1996 to 2006 were black Caribbean or African. Tellingly, black and minority ethnic staff are also under–represented, making up only 6% of academic staff.
A recent piece by an anonymous history lecturer at a Russell Group university spoke out about the trend of filling senior posts without advertising them, and questioned whether this is a breach of university diversity laws, saying: "managers are increasingly more concerned with attaining an excellent performance in the REF exercise than they are in promoting equality and diversity".
Ethnic under-representation in universities is an education issue that regularly makes the press, not least since the rise of tuition fees and international student visa scandal. With squeezed time and resources, how can universities improve diversity in their staff and student recruitment? And does the responsibility extend beyond HR and admissions departments to politicians, policy makers and university leaders?
In a previous debate on this topic, Gary Loke, head of policy at the Equality Challenge Unit, suggested universities should be sharing more of their own diversity research and resources online. It may be an issue of communication and clarity, but we want to hear what your university is doing to increase diversity in higher education and how issues of race play out in the wider equality landscape of age, gender, disability, sexuality and religion.
So join our live chat Friday 3 May from 12-2pm BST in the comments section below to share best practice, advice, research and opinions on how this can be improved. We welcome your thoughts on the topic, so please do share below.
If this is your area of expertise and you would like to be on the panel, please email claire.shaw@theguardian.com.
You can also follow the live chat on Twitter using the hashtag #HElivechat
Simon Fanshawe, equality and diversity consultant, working extensively in higher education, partner at astar-fanshawe, co-founder of Stonewall, and currently chair of the University of Sussex governing body. @SimonFanshawe
Claire Herbert, senior policy adviser at Equality Challenge Unit. @ECUClaireH @EqualityinHE
Kamaljit Kerridge-Poonia, head of equality and diversity at the University of Southampton.
Deborah Gabriel, founder of Black British Academics, a new online network for African Caribbean scholars, and currently completing a PhD at the University of Salford. @deborahgabriel
Atul K. Shah, founder and CEO of Diverse Ethics , author of Celebrating Diversity, and Boardroom Diversity – The Opportunity. @atulkshah
Aaron Kiely, national black students' officer for the
National Union of Students. @aaron_kiely
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