In 2016, the university decided to do something about its negligent track record by establishing an undergraduate and graduate diversity initiative that, as one dean expressed, is being “strongly enforced.”

After various campus protests regarding limited diversity at school since the 1960s, and a teach-in at the graduate school in 2016, Brown created “Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion: An Action Plan for Brown University.”

The initiative was established after in-depth community input to address diversity—or the lack of it—at all levels:

•  faculty and staff hiring

•  student enrollment and retention

•  community support structures

•  curriculum diversity

•  leadership

•  financial support

•  mentoring

•  scholars programs

•  research

•  community organizations

•  data collections

•  strong accountability measures

“I’ve worked at other institutions, and I have to say that this is the first time I’ve seen an initiative like this strongly enforced,” said Marlina Duncan, graduate associate dean of Diversity Initiatives. “Everyone has had to think about these issues and write their own plan out to make sure this was done…and if it wasn’t done, there were consequences.”

According to Duncan, Brown’s plan is uniquely separated into two arenas: the undergraduate and the graduate level. And so the action plan of one level may be completely different from the other. When we, The Hispanic Outlook on Education, spoke to the dean, we did so with an interest in diversity at the graduate level, and what was being done to reach the ambitious goals set forth in the initiative.

Community Engagement

Brown University’s Action Plan began with thorough community engagement. The school asked for in-depth input from all on how it was fairing with diversity. The biggest complaint graduate students had was the low number of faculty of color represented across the various departments. To this, the university hired Duncan as a full-time dean of diversity initiatives. Prior to this, her position was a split between the graduate school and the medical school, and there wasn’t enough time for one person to make the kind of change Brown now seeks to make with diversity on campus.

“When I came in, I was told that one of my goals was to double the number of underrepresented graduate students in five years,” Duncan said. “At first I thought that was ambitious, but then I looked at the numbers and was amazed at how small they were.”

According to Duncan, the largest group of underrepresented students entering into their graduate program at anytime has been 30 within 51 doctoral programs and 31 master's programs. In total, only eight to nine percent of approximately 2,300 graduate students are from underrepresented groups. Of these numbers, Latinos made up 5.1 percent in 2014-2015, up from 2.6 percent in 2004-2005.

Duncan has made it her mission to now double these numbers of underrepresented students, which includes Latinos, as has all staff at Brown’s graduate and undergraduate levels. “Everyone has to think about these issues, write out their own plans and make sure they are acted upon,” she said. “We’ve been so committed to this that even our Ivy League peers have asked us how we’ve done this and how we’ve gotten buy in.”

Duncan is one of several new hires at Brown’s graduate level since the diversity initiative was put in place. The Medical School, which is separate from the graduate school, hired a full-time dean in charge of diversity to replace the half-time position of earlier, and the School of Public Health also brought on someone in charge of recruitment and retention issues.

In terms of the student population, the majority of graduate underrepresented students are Latino and African-American, with a few more of the former. “When it comes to attracting these students to campus, we are up against several barriers,” Duncan said. “Since we are an Ivy League, there are many first-generation students who don’t think Ivy Leagues are an option. Also, people know more about our undergraduate school than graduate school, and admissions for graduate level students is more complicated than at the undergraduate level.”

Working Towards Diversity

Despite the challenges, Duncan has been able to advance enrollment numbers through specific concerted efforts. The school has been able to triple its number of underrepresented groups since 2010, and has increased Ph.D. student numbers since 2015. The dean has helped do so by working directly with departments on developing means of recruiting students all year long (which was not done before), and building relationships with institutions and outside programs during the year.

Duncan works with schools like the University of Central Florida, and its McNair Scholars Program, and with schools in Puerto Rico, to attract graduate students to Brown. The university even invited Puerto Rican students to attend Brown University at the undergraduate and graduate level with all expenses paid for after the hurricane hit the island.

In addition, Duncan has begun working with regional institutions like the University of Massachusetts in Boston, Brandeis University and minority-serving institutions in the area.  It has been a challenge, though, to reach out to the local community of Providence, Rhode Island, and to institutions here, since local minority numbers are fairly low.

In outreach efforts nationwide, Brown has invited students thinking about graduate school to visit its campus for a preview day with all paid expenses. In doing so, she hopes students reticent in applying to Brown feel fewer barriers in doing so.  Duncan shares information about her program at recruitment events and national summer research programs.

“Students have said they were excited when they got the invitation to attend. This meant something to them,” she said.

In addition, when it comes to student retention, “we have definitely beefed that up,” Duncan said. Brown had its first ever orientation program for graduate students of color this past year, giving students a chance to learn and talk about budgeting, stereotyping, managing themselves within departments, mental health, and to hear topics addressing the needs of women, men, and LGBT communities. In addition, the school now sends webinars to new students prior to attending, so any questions or concerns they may have can be addressed. These webinars are student run and provide underrepresented students a chance to build community with peers prior to arriving on campus.

Brown University also offers these same students a welcome dinner and lunch gatherings every two weeks with rotating topics. Sometimes minority faculty attends and shares its experiences as former students who learned how to thrive inside departments where they were one of few students of color. Students also gather once a month for the diversity student advisory board in Duncan’s office, and the dean meets with departments to talk about implicit bias and micro aggressions that may occur toward underrepresented students.

Present And Future At Brown

For students who arrive at Brown from predominately-minority communities it can be quite a shock to find themselves so isolated. So, creating a campus environment that feels inclusive for these students is extremely important for their success.

Minority students may feel at home at the Brown Center for Students of Color, an organization that encompasses smaller ones focused on Latinos and other groups. Brown’s First-Generation Low Income College and Low-Income Student Center provides a welcoming place for new students, or attending the graduate school as a DACA student debt free. Several minority graduate students have also offered their time at the local schools, tutoring, doing research and providing outreach to minority community members.

“I think we are doing a lot,” Duncan said. “It’s enough where we see real changes, but we have to keep the momentum up with this.”

When it comes to curriculum, every department is required to include diversity in its curriculum. Goals in this arena have been to double the number of first-year and sophomore seminars related to issues of power, privilege, inequality and social justice, and to expand programs to improve achievement among students of color in the sciences.

In addition, the Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Andrew G. Campbell is the first minority dean the school has ever had, and the Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Eric Estes is another new minority hire.

“We are doing well compared to other Ivy Leagues, but we need to do more of what we are already doing,” Duncan said.

Brown University’s graduate school has until 2022 to meet its goals of doubling underrepresented graduate numbers, and further increasing diverse staff and faculty hiring. Yet, its greatest challenge may not be in just reaching these goals, but in maintaining them into the future.

“If we can maintain the energy, I think we will achieve what we said we would,” Duncan said. “But how do we make sure this stays in the forefront? It can’t be about the people. It has to be institutionalized. It has to be about the institution maintaining this as a priority.” •

Photo in Table of Contents Courtesy of Brown University