Diverse encounters enhance learning

Engagement of students with each other was identified long ago in Alexander Astin's Four Critical Years (originally published in 1977) as one of the most powerful influences in learning. Engagement across difference has also been found to be one of the highest predictors of leadership learning by the Multi-Institution Study of Leadership (Dugan and Komives, 2007). With the combination of these research findings, educators have no better resource for learning than diverse peer interactions both in and outside of the classroom. Elizabeth Aries adds more evidence of the value of diversity in The Impact of College Diversity: Struggles and Successes at 30, where she concluded that "interactions with peers of another race and class influenced development of citizenship skills and civic engagement, as well as Black students' ability to cope with the challenges they faced in the professional world."

Ibram X. Kendi's boundary-breaking "anti-racism" work offered ideas and provided language for both the oppressed and oppressors to join together in challenging systemic conditions that perpetuate racism. The influence of his work is evident in the center he founded at Boston University, presently undergoing a reset for it to become a sustainable catalyst for challenging racism. Hitting it big with research and publications can place a scholar at risk. A clear example is that the financial troubles Kendi's BU center faces are stirring both questions and affirmations.

There's only one small problem - students tend to avoid peers from different racial and cultural backgrounds! The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology summary of the research study of 11,000+ students' diaries indicates "fewer cross-race and cross-class interactions than would occur at chance" and less satisfaction in these encounters. The most positive outcome of cross-group interaction is that minoritized students performed better academically, a result of their greater sense of being included. Nicole Stephens, a faculty member on the Northwestern University's Kellogg School research team, commented on the implication of the study by saying, "We need to think about how to intentionally create systems to ensure that people are actually interacting across differences and have the potential to benefit from those differences." Fostering intercultural competence is especially important to improving the experience of international students studying in U.S. institutions.

The rise of white Christian nationalism is one force that potentially drives students away from each other, isolating in enclaves of sameness based on presumed religious ideas. The danger in white Christian nationalism is its foundation in fundamental and evangelical ideology, which in itself is a type of thinking that is antithetical to the critical thinking that universities seek to inculcate in students. The Brookings Institute and Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) identified the number of those in the general population who endorse a white Christian nationalist perspective and what they are ready to do to impose their political views. Educational associations are urging the Biden administration's Department of Education to reverse the Trump era "free inquiry rule," a move actively resisted by some students and House Republicans. Providing public resources to religious organizations challenges the convention of separating church and state as well as potentially supporting organizations that may discriminate against their peers.

Although not explicitly connected to the rise of white Christian nationalism, a revival at Asbury University reflects a type of evangelism central to fundamentalism within Christianity. Students spontaneously continued gathering for 10+ days, closing on February 19, 2023. Samford and Lee Universities had spin-off revivals of their own and Western Kentucky and Ohio State followed later. The Asbury revival, its origins and implications, is affirmed by some and questioned by others. The language and customs that mirror the conservative sects of Christianity were mixed with confessions of racism, sexism, and ways the church has hurt people at Lee University. The growing awareness of how the church has perpetuated wrongs may be an opening for students of various cultural and religious perspectives to come together.

Protecting free exchange of ideas across the ideological spectrum is the objective of the Academic Freedom Alliance. A statement issued by AFA warned that "Selective political interventions to override the free exchange of ideas on university campuses will inevitably damage our institutions of higher learning and hamper their ability to contribute to the advancement of knowledge." The combination of encouraging student openness and preserving a supportive campus culture that welcome diverse encounters remains one of higher education's greatest challenges. Claims that higher education is indoctrinating students in liberalizing ways may be fear-mongering, especially considering students' trust of professors, a level of trust that exceeds their trust in presidents or DEI officers related to diversity issues. However, some educators warn that the liberal bias of some colleges and universities threatens credibility as a place where free exchange of views is supported.

A poll found that the vast majority of all Americans, both liberal and conservative, believe that students should be exposed to a diversity of ideas. There is remarkable agreement about the importance of being exposed to opposing views as well as the right to express dissent through protesting, but not interrupting, speakers. As an example of conservatives who support diversity education and academic freedom, the chancellor of the Georgia state system, who is a former Trump administration official, issued a report that advocated for DEI expenditures across the state. As a result of legislative action and the growing hostility related to diversity advocacy in conservative states, DEI officers on some campuses have begun to see their roles as more about battling backlash than positive change. The result - some refuse employment in conservative settings, others stay and fight, and another option involves dispersing responsibility through "shared equity leadership."

A core issue related to fostering diverse encounters is the representativeness of the faculty. The composition of the professoriate is radically different than the population at large and of students. Faculty differ "not only demographically, but economically, ideologically and politically and in terms of religion and sexual orientation." Steven Mintz asserted that this critical element of learning from diverse peers and teachers can be resolved through "attaching greater value to the very qualities we claim to care about - faculty who are community engaged, culturally responsive and dedicated to mentoring not just doctoral candidates, but all students." It's about a wholistic view that includes diverse identities as well as all the other dimensions of a highly impactful learning environment.

With the benefits so clear and documented over time, how can educators foster more openness and comfort in cross-group interactions? As Stephens suggests, intentionality is key. Leadership educators and internationalists have a lot at stake as they strive to enhance students' leadership learning and international awareness and dexterity.