P E R S P E C T I V E S • S U M M E R 2 0 1 4 N A G A P 9 UNVEILING CLARK KENT: RECOGNIZING THE EXTRAORDINARY DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP OF GRADUATE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS By Sosanya Jones, Ed.D., Southern Illinois University Diversity is a hot topic in higher education, especially in the graduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Nearly everyone seems to be interested in increasing the number of historically underrepresented students of color in STEM fields. If there is any doubt, one only has to look at the number of organizations and funders who have invested money into programs, initiatives and studies about how to improve diversity within graduate STEM education (BEST, 2004; Myers, 2003; Pender et al., 2010; Tierney, Corwin, Auerbach & Venegas, 2003; Walker et al, 2010). As racial and ethnic demographics continue to shift and more Blacks and Latinos pursue higher education, colleges and universities must find ways to create more inclusive and supportive environments that will help attract and retain these students, especially in graduate STEM education where underrepresented populations are the least visible in academia (Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy, 2010; Dowd, 2010). It is no wonder there have been calls for more and better leadership to advance the issue of diversity (Aguirre & Martinez, 2007; Betts, Urias & Betts, 2009; Fullan & Scott, 2009). In light of this great demand, I have some shocking news—we already have dynamic and transformational diversity leaders in graduate STEM education! These diversity leaders are making great strides in the areas of diverse student recruitment and retention and are affecting systematic change in graduate STEM education. I know it may be hard to believe because if you search the literature on graduate STEM education, leadership or even diversity in higher education, you will find little empirical evidence that these people exist. Oh sure, we’ve all heard anecdotal tales of the lone campus hero working tirelessly on behalf of students to provide financial, academic and social support while championing the virtues of diversity in graduate education in the face of old-guard resistance and dwindling institutional support. Yet, according to the literature, these heroes are a fairytale in graduate education; they simply do not exist. And if diversity leaders in graduate STEM education do not exist in the literature, then they must not be real, right? Well, allow me to present some evidence to the contrary. Let’s look to the literature to confirm what we do know. First, there is a global economic shift taking place which is based on scientific and technological innovation. As a result, there is increased pressure to advance the STEM fields. By 2018, it is expected that there will be an increase of 2.7 million jobs in the STEM fields (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). As a result, there is increasing national emphasis on producing and developing innovation in these fields (Weber & Jentleson, 2010). The United States has always had difficulty recruiting and training persons in the STEM fields; this new shift in priorities makes the country’s continuing struggle to produce a workforce in the STEM fields even more problematic. Second, there is a demographic shift that revolves around the growing demographic of people of color and the declining population of the White majority. Persons of color, particularly Latinos, are quickly becoming the majority. By 2050, it is expected that, nationally, Blacks, Asians and especially Latinos, will help push the total persons of color population into the majority, representing over 54% of the population (CNN, 2008; Frey, 2011). However, while this shift is occurring, certain groups of persons of color are being left behind. The disparity among Blacks, Latinos and Whites in both STEM higher education and STEM employment continues to widen making the scarcity of qualified workers within the STEM fields even more pronounced (Chen & Weko, 2009; Ginn, 2010; Lederman, 2009; National Science Foundation [NSF], 2011). Third, it is clear from the sheer volume of case studies that have proliferated over the past 10 years that there has been a surge in the number of graduate initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in the STEM fields (Border & von Hoene, 2010; Neufeld, Woodward & MacLeod, 1989; Reyes, Powell, Aronson & Goldberg, 2007). We also know that many of the diversity programs that have cropped up on our campuses are funded by major league hitters like the National Science Foundation “First, there is a global economic shift taking place which is based on scientific and technological innovation. ” “Second, there is a demographic shift that revolves around the growing demographic of people of color and the declining population of the White majority. ” “Third, it is clear from the sheer volume of case studies that have proliferated over the past 10 years that there has been a surge in the number of graduate initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in the STEM fields. ” continued on the next page