In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 209, which prohibited state-run entities – including public colleges and universities – from considering race, ethnicity, or gender in employment, contracting, and admissions to educational institutions.
A new study by the Campaign for College Opportunity finds that these restrictions have a negative impact on the state’s students and economy. “Racially and gender diverse college leaders and faculty are key to improving success for all students,” the report maintains. And student success will lead to a more robust economy in the state, according to the report.
In the University of California System, women make up 54.1 percent percent of all undergraduate students. But women are just 33.6 percent of the tenured faculty in the system. Women hold 38.8 percent of senior leadership posts in the University of California System. There are seven women on the 26-member board of regents.
In the California State University System, women are 56.7 percent of the students. Women make up 46.8 percent of the tenured faculty. Women hold 44.8 percent of senior leadership posts in the system. There are seven women on the 20-member board of trustees.
George R. Boggs, president and CEO emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges, said that “if we really want to attract and retain a more racially and gender diverse faculty, staff, and administration, college leaders at all levels need the courage to make some changes in how searches and selection processes are conducted, and we need to be more engaged in mentoring promising and diverse future colleagues.”
The full study, Left Out: How Exclusion in California’s Colleges and Universities Hurts Our Values, Our Students and Our Economy, may be downloaded here.