This book explores the racial climate on Protestant colleges and universities. It examines why these institutions succeed or fail to attract students of color and why students of color who attend these institutions succeed or fail to graduate from them. Using a national online Internet survey of Protestant campuses, an online survey of students from selected campuses, and two national data sets (National Center for Education Statistics and Princeton Review’s Complete Book of Colleges), research showed what works and what does not work in promoting racial diversity on Protestant campuses. There ... More

This book explores the racial climate on Protestant colleges and universities. It examines why these institutions succeed or fail to attract students of color and why students of color who attend these institutions succeed or fail to graduate from them. Using a national online Internet survey of Protestant campuses, an online survey of students from selected campuses, and two national data sets (National Center for Education Statistics and Princeton Review’s Complete Book of Colleges), research showed what works and what does not work in promoting racial diversity on Protestant campuses. There is quantitative evidence for the efficacy of diversity courses, minority professors, and student-led multicultural organizations but less support for multicultural programs, antiracism programs, and financial aid support in the promotion of racial diversity. The qualitative findings in the book explore why some programs are more successful in promoting racial diversity. These findings can provide guidance for leaders of Protestant institutions of higher education who want to increase racial diversity on their campuses. Since Protestant campuses are less likely to be racially diverse than other campuses, understanding factors that help Protestant campuses overcome their tendency toward racial homogeneity can also help other educational institutions become more racially diverse. The book explores the generalizabilty of its findings to non-Protestant campuses.