Campus diversity becoming a core value at SAU

By: Nicole Kelly

Posted: 2/4/10

The college experience is supposed to be about discovering yourself and the world, but with only 8 percent minorities on campus at St. Ambrose it's hard for students to really get a feel for the world outside of this small Midwest town.
From information compiled by St. Ambrose on their website it shows that in 2008 only 291 students out of 3794 were of a non-Caucasian background, and there are only 28 minority members on the faculty out of 383. This means that between students and faculty less than 8 percent of the population is represented by persons of color.
Michael Dixon, Coordinator of Intercultural Life and Leadership Programs at St. Ambrose and the only African American faculty member, believes that having a campus rich in diversity is very important to give students a well rounded education.
"Diversity on campus will prepare students for the world at large," Dixon said.
He believes that college is the perfect place for students to be exposed to many different cultures.
"It's a safe environment for students to experience diversity and question things," Dixon said. "It's a place for them to learn from their mistakes and grow."
Knox College, located in Galesburg, IL about 45 minutes from Ambrose, has 18 percent diversity on their campus. Their student population represents 47 states and 48 countries, and their population is about 1,400 students, which is less than half the population of St. Ambrose.
Dixon, a former employee at Knox, doesn't understand how a smaller school in a smaller town is able to attract way more multicultural students than Ambrose.
St. Ambrose is located in the third biggest town in Iowa and yet a school in a way smaller town like Galesburg can attract more people from all over the world.
"It's all about the mind set," Dixon said. "It needs to be a focus from the President and the Cabinet on down until it gets to the same priority level as economic viability."
Dixon hopes that eventually diversity will become an important core value at St. Ambrose that is expressed every day.
St. Ambrose is taking steps to increase minority enrollment such as having a minority scholarship day during Multicultural Week in March. They are also taking steps to attract diverse faculty to the university as well, like getting ad space in journals such as Diverse Issues and Higher Education.