Bloomifield College Case Study
Rutgers University Case Study

The College of New Jersey
Ewing, New Jersey
Case Study
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Support for diversity at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is strong and pervasive, beginning with the institution’s President, Dr. R. Barbara Gitenstein who took the helm in 1999. Due in part to her leadership, the institution has been highly successful in creating institution-wide diversity initiatives cultivated through the support from central administration as well as new and existing grassroots efforts throughout the campus. The balance that TCNJ has been able to strike between institutional support and grassroots efforts has led to a comprehensive and effective diversity initiative that continues to grow.

A central element of TCNJ’s diversity initiative is inclusiveness. In the fall of 2003 the college assembled a panel of students, faculty, and administrators to develop a comprehensive definition of the term “inclusion” and determine how to integrate it throughout TCNJ’s diversity strategies. The institution, intentional about the panel’s embodiment of inclusiveness, tapped several campus constituencies to help generate multiple viewpoints and build consensus. At TCNJ, inclusion has become both an academic priority and a visible commitment integral to the evolution of the college’s campus diversity initiative. The definitions that arise from this collaborative panel will help direct policies and programming throughout the college to ensure that TCNJ’s diversity initiatives are representative of everyone on the campus.

TCNJ is committed to empowering all of its constituencies to take leadership roles and help shape the institution through inclusive processes. For example, the Student Government Association recently established a Director of Diversity/Inclusion, Ms. Joanna Holguín, who works directly with the Director of Equity and Diversity, Dr. Jerusalem T. Howard, as a liaison to student organizations. As a result, students have direct access to the person who oversees much of TCNJ’s diversity work. The creation of this formal feedback loop insures that students’ voices are heard, addressing a critical and ongoing challenge for many institutions, which look to students as an important source of information in decision-making processes.

To address issues of access to the college, TCNJ has shifted their admissions practices from a purely numeric evaluation system to a qualitative system, dubbed “inclusive selectivity.” With a current undergraduate enrollment of almost 25% students of color and nearly 60% women TCNJ has already had some success in providing access to traditionally unrepresented or underrepresented groups, but the work is ongoing. The College’s new portfolio process provides a more holistic view of students’ potential contributions to the educational experience at TCNJ. Admissions officers are able to evaluate the whole student by weighing heavily students’ personal statements, leadership potential, and life experiences, in addition to their academic transcripts. Through this process admissions officers help compose a student body whose own diversity serves as an educational resource for everyone.

Once admitted to the institution, students at TCNJ have access to an array of support and mentoring opportunities. One prominent example is the Minority Mentor Program/Student Mentoring and Leadership, which has a 90% retention rate among its participants and, in 2003, received the Noel-Levitz Retention Excellence Award. The program provides a variety of resources to help students transition to college life including peer mentoring and workshops on a range of topics such as time management and study skills. The program also provides leadership opportunities through seven student committees that plan and facilitate programs and events. TCNJ’s efforts to retain students and foster their success have resulted in a six-year graduation rate of 83% for all students.

In addition to the compositional diversity fostered by the new admissions process and retention strategies, TCNJ is dedicated to tapping diversity as a resource by facilitating students’ experience with intercultural engagement in and out of the classroom and through civic engagement opportunities. TCNJ’s efforts to foster a culture of inclusive excellence are evidenced by the institution’s definition of liberal learning, which intrinsically links civic engagement, diversity, and globalization. Increasing the impact of this definition is its link to the college’s mission and core beliefs. Liberal learning is defined as a lived experience in the curriculum through courses such as "Africana Women in Historical Perspective," which examines the lives and contributions of women of African decent through a global and cross-cultural lens, and “Social Psychology of Power, Oppression, and Privilege,” in which students examine the ways in which social categories such as race, gender, and sexual orientation influences the relationships among groups in society. A complete list of TCNJ’s diversity courses can be found here.

TCNJ continues to widen its diversity efforts through the creation of co-curricular opportunities that enhance the diversity curriculum. Faculty, students, and community members are all encouraged to participate in diversity scholarship and programming and to engage with the college and community through TCNJ’s new Diversity Mini Grants program. In addition, deepening one’s understanding of diversity is available to all employees and students through the training program "TCNJ: Creating Our Inclusive Community.” This program is required for all new hires and is provided to incoming students during welcome week.

TNCJ’s willingness to examine itself critically has contributed to its success in institutionalizing diversity initiatives. When President Gitenstein first arrived at TCNJ, she was committed to the idea that the school should never have a dedicated office of diversity. She believed that diversity is everyone’s responsibility and therefore should not be relegated to an individual office. After five years, however, the progress she had hoped for in moving TCNJ’s diversity initiatives forward had not occurred. In response to this lack of expected progress, President Gitenstein changed course and established the Office of Equity and Diversity. As TCNJ works to institutionalize diversity comprehensively as a core value, the Office provides the necessary structure to ensure the centrality of diversity in all levels of decision-making. Since the Office’s inception, TCNJ has made great progress towards its goal of institutionalizing diversity; progress that would never have taken place without the administration’s willingness to assess their work constantly and alter their strategies when necessary.

By creating a foundation of strong institutional support, while simultaneously allowing for innovative grassroots initiatives, TCNJ is leading the way in creating a comprehensive diversity initiative. It is on the path to becoming an institution in which the value of diversity is truly institutionalized. TCNJ’s thoughtful, well-balanced approach to diversity has helped the school succeed in retaining students and preparing them to thrive in our increasingly interconnected yet contentious world. While, according to President Gitenstein, the institution still has much work to do, the widespread support of diversity has created a culture in which TCNJ’s diversity initiatives appear to be thriving.