STEM Sell Diversity

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering have issued a new handbook on how to promote “diversity” in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

The report emphasized two rationales for “diversity” in STEM education, one a rather superficial proportionalism and the other based on national security. In introducing the report at a press conference Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechic University and president of the AAAS, declared that “[n]ational demographics are changing, women and minorities are the majority in our population, but they don’t make up the majority in these programs. Who,” she asked, “will do the science of this millenium if it’s not our young people?”

Why should STEM students — why should students in any field — reflect “national demographics”? The report doesn’t say, though it does quote (Introduction, p. 10) a Congressional commission report that perceptively noted that

if women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities were represented in the U.S. science, engineering, and technology workforce in parity with their percentages in the total workforce population, this shortage [of skilled American workers] could largely be ameliorated.

Well, yes. If we had more women and minority skilled workers, we would indeed have more skilled workers. These nods toward proportionalism, in my view, are just so much rhetorical fluff, but they do lead to what is presented as a more substantial argument (also from p. 10 of the Introduction):

If we don’t act now to incorporate marginalized groups into a dynamic STEM workforce, we risk endangering our economic and national security well into the future.

Of course, even if there is, or will be, a serious shortage of STEM students/workers, it does not at all follow that “diversity” preferences are the best solution. To her credit President Jackson recognized this herself (from her chapter, “The Beauty of Diverse Talent,” Appendix, p. 4):

But the fight cannot be at the college classroom door, because it is a false fight, Instead, we have to go back to the beginning to understand what really works in identifying, nurturing, and developing scientific talent.

Indeed.

UPDATE [7 Oct. 10:00AM]

Some students object to opening “minority programs” to all students, reports the Yale Daily News:

Noah Hood ’08, a member of the Black Student Alliance at Yale who said he intends to major in astronomy and physics, said he believes opening minority programs to all students would be a move in the wrong direction.

“There definitely should be programs for just minorities,” Hood said. “The justification for opening the programs up is that racism is over in this country. On paper it might be, but in the actuality of life it is not.”

On the contrary, the justification for opening up all programs to all students is not that “racism is over”; it is that discrimination on the basis of race is wrong. In addition to being wrong (in case being wrong is not enough), racially exclusionary programs actually cause more racism than they cure by fomenting racial conflict and resentment.

Say What? (4)

  1. Anonymous October 6, 2004 at 12:07 pm | | Reply

    “But the fight cannot be at the college classroom door, because it is a false fight, Instead, we have to go back to the beginning to understand what really works in identifying, nurturing, and developing scientific talent.”

    But should it matter what race, religion, nationality is ?

  2. LTEC October 6, 2004 at 1:06 pm | | Reply

    I have a rant here“>here”>http://www.icouldbewrong.blogspot.com/2004_08_01_icouldbewrong_archive.html#109321235708846869″>here

    about the HUGE amount of nonsense on the issue of women in information technology, together with dozens of examples of mutually inconsistent, and often self-inconsistent, articles purporting to explain and solve this “problem”.

  3. John S Bolton October 6, 2004 at 11:00 pm | | Reply

    This is another warning shot telling us to expect more aggression from the race industry. Science and engineering have been formidable holdouts against the improper demands for quotas. They routinely slap down the pretensions of the disadvantaged minorities; that they are not outside civilization in demanding proportional representation for their groups. Anyone who knows this may bring it up, much to the embarassment of the professional disadvantage-cases and to the officialdom and professoriate which advocate for them.

  4. David Nieporent October 8, 2004 at 6:35 am | | Reply

    I think you deserve bonus points for the headline of this post.

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