According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the west coast is home to many of our nation's most ethnically diverse campuses. Utilizing a "diversity index" (which measures the probability that any two students at an institution are from different racial or ethnic groups), 36 schools from California and 14 from Hawaii made the Chronicle's list. New York is the next closest state with 10 schools on the list.
Here's the breakdown by types of 4-year schools:
4-year public
1. University of Hawaii at Hilo 2. University of Hawaii Maui College 3. University of Hawaii - West Oahu 4. University of Hawaii - Manoa 5. California State University - East Bay 6. New Jersey Institute of Technology 7. City College of City University of New York 8. Rutgers University at Newark 9. University of Houston 10. San Francisco State University 11. San Jose Sate University 12. City University of New York Bernard M. Baruch College 13. University of California at Los Angeles 14. Seattle Central Community College 15. City University of New, New York City College of Technology
4-year private non-profit
1. Hawaii Pacific University 2. Chaminade University of Honolulu 3. Holy Names University 4. La Sierra University 5. Houston Baptist University 6. Andrews University 7. Pacific Union College 8. Otis College of Art and Design 9. Remington College at Honolulu 10. University of San Francisco 11. Southwestern Adventist University 12. Menlo College 13. Nyack College 14. New York Institute of Technology at Old Westbury 15. University of Southern California
Whether campuses are considered to have high ethnic diversity or not, we in Cru seek to trust the Lord to see movements everywhere so that each student from every culture has an opportunity to connect with Christ on their campus and in their community.
Each year at the start of the new school year, Beloit College releases what they call the Mindset List -- a list of important facts and events which influence the worldview and perspective that this year's college freshmen class brings with them.
This year's list, which is made up for the graduating class of 2018, represents those students who were born in 1996. As you can see, this year's list highlights advances in science, changes in technology, significant world events, the role that social media now plays and the evolution of societal views on human sexuality and religion.
You can read the complete list here but I've included some entries below that I found particularly interesting:
During their initial weeks of kindergarten, they were upset by endlessly repeated images of planes blasting into the World Trade Center.
“Press pound” on the phone is now translated as “hit hashtag.”
Celebrity “selfies” are far cooler than autographs.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has always been the only news program that really “gets it right.”
The water cooler is no longer the workplace social center; it’s the place to fill your water bottle.
In their lifetime, a dozen different actors have portrayed Nelson Mandela on the big and small screen.
Hong Kong has always been part of China.
Hello Dolly...cloning has always been a fact, not science fiction.
Women have always been dribbling, and occasionally dunking, in the WNBA.
Hell has always been associated less with torment and more with nothingness.
There has always been “TV” designed to be watched exclusively on the web.
They have never had to hide their dirty magazines under the bed.
Attending schools outside their neighborhoods, they gather with friends on Skype, not in their local park.
“Good feedback” means getting 30 likes on your last Facebook post in a single afternoon.
Since Toys R Us created a toy registry for kids, visits to Santa are just a formality.
Please remember to pray for the 22 million U.S. college students that are starting classes over the next few weeks. They are part of a changing world...and they also have the opportunity to influence how the world changes.
It's been ten days since Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri and we still don't know what exactly happened. Witnesses say one thing; the police say another. Whatever it was that transpired, the black residents of Ferguson, along with a number of their allies, have responded with protests as they demand that local police share the truth. Local and state government has answered with an increased show of force as they seek to restore order in their community.
For many of us that are not black, we may have a difficult time understanding the anger that is behind what happened in Ferguson. We ask, "Why is the death of Michael Brown drawing so much attention?"
[Timeline: For a timeline of the events in Ferguson please click here.]
It could be that one of the reasons that what happened in Ferguson has so gripped the attention of the African American community is because, for them, this is not an isolated incident. According to a Pew Research Center study, 80% of African Americans feel that this case raises important issues about race. Only 37% of white people feel the same. For many black people, this situation brings reminders of a troubled history within this country and an uneasy relationship with law enforcement.
In just the past few weeks, at least a handful of unarmed black men have been shot and killed by police. So the anger that the residents of Ferguson are expressing is not solely on the behalf of the death of Michael Brown, although that is a big part of it. It is on behalf of all the black men that have lost their lives unnecessarily at the hands of the powerful and privileged. It is on behalf of all the black men that live their lives knowing that they could be mistaken for a criminal at any moment. It is on behalf of all the black mothers and grandmothers that stay up at night in prayer that their children will make it home safely. It is on behalf of our own humanity.
As new revelations have come to light regarding the incident in the convenience store prior to the shooting, we may be tempted to think that the shooting of an unarmed man six times is undoubtedly justifiable. But in a television interview from the other night, actor Jesse Williams offers another perspective on how this tragedy can be viewed. Here's the clip:
For those of us that are white Americans, it could be easy to ignore the events of Ferguson. In reality, many of us are doing just that. We turn our attention to other matters and don't concern ourselves with these things that take place in our own country because, well, we don't have to. When we look at this dead young man and the crowds of protesters, we don't see ourselves. We see someone else.
And this is part of the problem of living in a sin-stained world where the human tendency to value the lives of those that look like us over those that don't has been seen throughout human history. For those of us that are Christians, this should give us pause to look deep within our own hearts to examine the ways that we view and treat others in ways that devalue them as people created in the image of God.
What is going on in Ferguson matters because it demonstrates that we as a country still have a ways to go to achieve liberty and justice for all. I really don't claim to have the answers but I think listening and learning and praying is at least a good place to start.
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There are a number of Christian writers that have weighed in on this developing story. Please consider reading these posts for additional perspectives:
