In "Understanding the Competitive Environment of the Postsecondary Knowledge Industry", Peterson and Dill (1997) outline six challenges that are reshaping the education "industry" as we know it. Among these challenges is the changing pattern of diversity found in the current population, and the increasing rate of change projected over the next decades. This new student population is considered one of the "changing conditions" in the Framework for Contextual Planning outlined by Peterson (1997) in "Using Contextual Planning to Transform Institutions." This paper will focus on one of the six challenges, and apply the framework of contextual planning to the issue of planning for and implementing diversity initiatives at the institutional level.

The Contextual Planning Model Contextual planning (Peterson, 1997) is appropriate in situations where the external environment is changing rapidly, where the industry is undergoing massive changes, and where the institution will need to examine its own mission, external relationships, organizational structures and processes, and its very institutional culture, when addressing issues of change and transformation. Although incorporating elements of long-range and strategic planning processes, contextual planning differs in some fundamental ways. Long-range planning assumes conditions of relatively stable or predictable enrollment demands and resource flows, limited competition, and an unchanging institutional mission. Strategic planning attempts to assess the current environment and predict the future one, examines the competition within the industry, and attempts to find a "niche" market. Strategic planning, although assuming a less stable environment, is still reactive or adaptive in nature. It examines the environment and attempts to adapt plans and policies to position itself competitively. Contextual planning is more proactive. It assumes the external environment can be shaped or modified to a degree, that the postsecondary education industry is not permanent in nature, and that educational institutions can change or modify their missions. Importantly, contextual planning requires that institutions examine patterns of external competition, to determine where areas of cooperation and collaboration may exist. Internally, it may mean an institution examining its own central mission, structure and institutional culture. Effective leadership - leadership that can provide visions of what the future can and should be like - is central to contextual planning. The contextual approach to planning may be appropriate to use in environments that are undergoing rapid change, as is the case in the postsecondary "industry". Aside from demographic changes, the postsecondary environment is experiencing rapid change in technology, increased competition from other knowledge providers, pressure to demonstrate success in terms of assessment, achieved results and economic outcomes, changing demand for education from multiple populations (older students, part-time students, etc), and a new globalization that is producing collaborative educational opportunities that cross international boundaries. An institution using the contextual planning will examine these changes, identify new roles for the institution, review possible new external relationships, and will try to shape both the external environment and the institution to remain an effective competitor in the postsecondary education industry. Contextual planning, therefore, assumes that the environment and the institution are changing, but they can be influenced and guided by proactive measures. Externally, institutions must look at sources of competition, coalition and cooperation. Internally, it must examine its own mission, structures and culture in order to find ways to adapt and thrive in the face of external changes.

Diversity and Planning

Changing Demographics

Rapid changes in the external social and political environment are continuing to be felt on college and university campuses across the country. One of the major external changes is in the racial and ethnic makeup of the student population. According to Miller (2000), by the middle of this century, as much as half of the population in this country will be non-Caucasian. This is supported by Benjamin (1996), who indicates that in some states, minority populations already represent more than 50% of the population. Birth rates of American minorities are high, and coupled with increases in immigration, the population of minorities will soon outnumber that of Caucasians. These changes are currently seen more acutely in primary and secondary schools. In twenty-two of the twenty-five largest school districts, minorities are already the majority. By 2015, the proportion of white students on campuses will drop to around 60% (Miller, 2000).

Colleges and universities experienced a different sort of demographic shift in the 1980s and early 1990s, when the decline in the "traditional" student population, caused a scramble on campuses to increase the number of programs targeted for older "non-traditional" students, in order to maintain enrollments. While the cohort of 18-22 year olds appears to fluctuate, it is apparent that at least for the foreseeable future, an increasing number of those students will be non-Caucasian. Colleges and universities, if they have not already done so, must begin to address the educational needs of these students, if they wish to maintain enrollment levels and remain economically viable.

The economic concern of the colleges themselves is only one aspect of the larger economic picture. Most new jobs in the current economy do or will require some sort of postsecondary education (Hurtado and Dey, 1997; Rendon and Hope, 1996). Jobs for unskilled workers have been steadily declining, and low paying service jobs are now one of the few employment opportunities for those without some form of higher education. A primary directive of higher education in general is to provide educated and skilled employees for the workforce. The workplace itself will become more racially diverse, and the new global economy will require employees who can function successfully in a multicultural environment. Therefore, educating and training this new population is critical to the success of the economy as a whole as well.

A third, but no less critical, reason for colleges and universities to address the diversity issue, is the educational benefit of having a diverse student body. Institutions' progress towards diversity goals has a positive impact on students' educational experiences (Astin, as cited in Hurtado and Dey, 1997). This same kind of benefit extends to the workforce as well. A multiracial community, whether on campus or in business, requires its members to understand that their view of reality may not be the same as someone else's. The development of "cultural competence" (Bensimon, 1997) - the ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment is crucial to success in today's global market.

The Need for a Planned Approach

This paper will review a number of elements that colleges and universities need to review when considering the issue of diversity on their campuses. The nature of the university, which Birnbaum (1988) described as a "community of autonomous actors" (p.151,) provides opportunities for the issue of diversity to be introduced to various departments and areas of the college community. Yet at the same time, this "loosely-coupled" system (Weick, as cited in Mets, 1997) is also prone to piecemeal change, with various sub-units of the institution acting independently of other units. The issue of changing demographics, and its primary importance to the institution and the economy, calls for a more concerted and directed plan on the part of the university, although not necessarily a singular "master plan".

Even though the demographic changes are inevitable, it does not mean that the transition will be smooth, nor does it follow that every college will simply find more students of color flocking to its campus in larger numbers. There are several mitigating factors that must be considered. One, students today are consumers who may look for alternatives to traditional postsecondary education, if their needs aren't being met by the traditional colleges and universities (Yee, 1998). Two, although the number of minority students is increasing, educators are concerned about the number of minority high school graduates or are choosing not to go to college, especially those in the inner cities (Rendon and Hope, 1996). Those that do choose to enroll, are disproportionately enrolling in community colleges, and are under-represented in four-year programs. Additionally, the graduation rate for minority students is lower than that of white students, indicating problems with persistence once minority students do elect to go to college. Therefore, to enroll and retain minority students, colleges and universities are going to have to identify and address multiple issues that may impact minority access and persistence on their campuses.

The issue is further complicated by the fact that additional external variables need to be considered by the institution. Legal and political initiatives at both the federal and state level may determine, in part, what actions and programs an institution decides to pursue. New forms of competition, combined with new technology may force institutions to seek new ways of providing education services. Geographic location of the college or university may also help shape the institution's mission and programs, and needs to be considered when deciding on how best to implement changes that may have far-reaching effects on the institution.

A Contextual Approach

This paper supports the theory that in order to successfully address the complicated issue of increasing diversity on college and university campuses in our current turbulent environment, a process of contextual planning should be considered. In examining the issue of increasing diversity on campus, it is apparent that many of the elements that affect an institution's ability to attract larger numbers of minority students, are subject to the turbulent changes that call for contextual planning. Demographics are undergoing massive change, competition for these students is now coming from sources external to the university, and the legal and political environment surrounding this issue is unclear. Institutions planning for diversity must operate in this uncertain environment.

The issue of increasing diversity on campus is not new, but many previous institutional efforts to do this have focused on making changes that address only one piece of the picture - changing coursework to emphasize a multicultural perspective, adopting admissions and financial aid policies to attract diverse student populations, using affirmative action criteria in the hiring of new faculty or administrative positions. While all these areas are critical, the changing field of postsecondary education requires that these approaches fall under a more comprehensive program to increase diversity on campus. Taken out of an overall planned strategy of institutional change, these types of initiatives are more likely to have unintended consequences that the institution must then react to, as opposed to planning for.

The changes in this new population of students cannot be considered separately from other changes happening in higher education today, but must be reviewed in context of them. These changes include competition not only from other higher education institutions, but also from other sources. Among them are the business world, the telecommunications industry, other private companies, and the military (who is currently planning on spending $500 million dollars over the next five years to provide laptop computers to all of its soldiers in order to provide distance-education courses). Other external changes include technology advances and changes in the legal and political environment. Institutions of higher education must not only look for areas of competition, but for potential areas of cooperation and collaboration with these new providers of postsecondary education. These types of external changes will force colleges and universities to review their own role and mission, and may require major changes to internal institutional processes and structures, and to the climate and culture of the organization. Promoting transformational change requires the active involvement of institutional leadership in promoting and facilitating the change process. Since change is an ongoing process and one that is moving rapidly in the current environment, institutional leaders must constantly assess the interaction between the external environment and the institution. Old ways of thinking about the institution as a separate, stand alone formal organization may be obsolete and a new "interorganizational network" (Peterson, 1997, p. 151) may be more appropriate as colleges and universities begin to focus on "boundary relationships, interorganizational structures and the patterns of collaborative arrangements with other postsecondary and noneducational institutions" (p.151). Therefore, an appropriate first step, and one proposed by the process of contextual planing, is to assess the current "postsecondary industry" and to review the individual institution's current external environmental issues. Areas that may have an impact on the issue of diversity include the legal and political issues surrounding recruitment of minority students, competition for minority students, and geographical distribution of minority populations. By looking at these factors, and institution may be able to determine where areas of competition, cooperation and collaboration exist in addressing the issue of diversity.

Redefining the External Environment and the New Postsecondary Industry

The Legal and Political Environment

The law as it applies to issues of equal rights, diversity and affirmative action is currently in a state of flux. While forty years ago, Brown vs. the Board of Education struck down the idea that education could be "separate but equal", the resulting educational policies have changed from those promoting nondiscrimination, to those promoting equal opportunity and affirmative action, and now to legal cases that are challenging affirmative action as a form of "reverse discrimination." Colleges and universities within specific legal jurisdictions must constantly assess the impact of legal challenges to their programs for increasing diversity on campuses, and may need to forge new alliances to resist these legal challenges. For instance, the University of Michigan, currently embroiled in a lawsuit centering on the issue of Affirmative Action policies and reverse discrimination, has found an ally in General Motors, who in July of 2000, filed a legal brief in support of Michigan's policies. In the brief, GM stated that "...only a well educated, highly-diverse workforce, comprised of people who have learned to work productively and creatively with individuals from a multitude of races and ethnic, religious, and cultural histories, can maintain America's global competitiveness in the increasingly diverse and interconnected world economy" (GM Files Brief, 2000). Because the University of Michigan is a "supplier" of a substantial number of GM employees, particularly from its business and engineering schools, it has aligned itself with a powerful ally in supporting the need for diversity on campuses.

While having to address the legal challenges to affirmative action policies in the courts, higher education institutions receiving federal funds must also adhere to policies that do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Institutions are often caught between trying to address past discriminatory practices, and worrying about legal challenges to current affirmative action policies put in place to correct these problems. Institutions may need to think creatively about how to address the lack of diversity on campus in this current turbulent legal environment. One way for institutions to begin thinking about this is to review current state initiatives in regard to educational policies, trends and planning processes. Since higher education is the responsibility of the state, state planning agencies, boards and committees are often involved in long range planning based on the unique needs and current deficiencies in that particular state. An excellent source of information on diversity initiatives state by state can be found in "Diversity in Higher Education: An Action Agenda for the States" by Esther Rodriguez (1999). This monograph outlines states initiatives to address diversity goals and recommendations for both K-12 and K-16. It includes information on how some states are attempting to forge new links between K-12 and postsecondary education, as well as initiatives involving links with the business community and building public relations agendas. Recent court rulings in each state are outlined which may provide guidance for institutions reviewing and rethinking diversity initiatives. A good discussion on the state's role in promoting equity can also be found in Achieving Quality and Diversity: Universities in a Multicultural Society by Richardson and Skinner (1991).

External Competition While in the Michigan case, industry is acting as an ally of traditional higher education, private industry may also be in competition for students. In the current technology driven business world, private companies have emerged as new competition for students. As an example, employers looking for trained computer personnel might look for workers who have certified computer training such as systems engineers, database administrators, or certified webmasters, none of which require a "traditional" college degree. These kinds of training providers may be new competition or "substitute service" (p. 7, Peterson, 1997), and colleges and universities may need to seek paths of alliance or collaboration with private industry. As the federal government begins to address the need to provide funding for computer driven "distance" education, and as colleges and universities find themselves the object of criticism for increasing costs, alternative forms of training and education outside of the traditional setting may attract more and more students. Increasingly, students without the substantial resources needed to fund a traditional college education may find themselves drawn more to these alternative types of education

The correlation between those students from low-income families and the minority population cannot be ignored. The decline in attendance of many minorities cited earlier may be a direct result of the increased college costs and constrained personal and institutional resources. As alternatives in the postsecondary knowledge industry appear, a substantial number of those choosing these alternatives may be minority students. Even within the company of traditional higher education institutions, many minority students are choosing low-cost community and technical colleges, over pricier four-year programs. Trends in minority enrollment must be reviewed and considered by institutions wishing to increase the number of minority students on their campuses. Geographical distribution of minority populations may be important in an institution's plan to increase diversity.

Geography

Current demographics indicate patterns of ethnic diversity that impact individual institutions. The U.S. population in general is increasing in the south and west, with a substantial percentage of that increase coming in minority populations. Colleges and Universities must consider their own local populations, in context of their particular mission, to determine where there are opportunities for partnerships to increase enrollments. Institutions that are physically separated from larger populations of minority students, are going to face different challenges than those located within or near them. Often a college's location will help shape and mold the institutional mission and focus. For instance, the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque has a goal of, "recruiting, admitting, and retaining students from elements of the state's populations now underrepresented in its programs" and "taking advantage of the unique opportunities offered by the state's rich history, multi-cultural society ... to shape its programs." (Richardson and Skinner, 1991, p. 49). However institutions that find themselves distanced from minority populations, may need to think about the major challenges and implications of trying to attract larger numbers of minority students to campuses. Instead, institutions may need to think about the issue in terms of accessing new modes of reaching out to minority populations in the communities in which they reside via distance education, technology, branch campuses, or collaboration with other schools, colleges or private enterprise. In this rapidly changing environment, traditional models of increasing diversity may not always be the best or only way to address the issue.

Assessing the external environment will advance through the initial stage of the contextual planning process - the redefinition of the changing postsecondary knowledge industry, and allow the institution to then move on to the challenge of examining their own mission and role that will reflect this new reality.

Internal Institutional Environment

The changes in the postsecondary knowledge industry may require colleges to think about redefining external relationships in order to reflect this new and changing environment of the postsecondary industry (discussed in the previous section) but they must also examine their internal environment, and the dynamics between that and the changing external environment. In the contextual planning model, institutions must also think about redirecting their mission and institutional philosophy to reflect the external changes, redesigning the underlying structure and processes that support the mission and renewing the culture and climate of the institution to accommodate change. Together with redefining the new postsecondary industry, these four steps compose the critical planning issues in the contextual planning approach. Within each of these steps, effective institutional leadership is critical in the contextual planning approach. A good leader will be able to engage the faculty and administration in thinking of ways to address the diversity issue, in context of the changing environment.

Redirecting Institutional Mission

To be an effective part of the contextual planning process, the institution's mission statement must go beyond simply being a public relations exercise - a document used only periodically for purposes of justifying the institution's existence to the public or a state governing board. The mission statement should be used as a means of clarifying the institution's strategic focus. According to Dill (1997), the mission should be conceived of as a "collection of strategic decisions that influence the relationship between an institution and its environment" (p.172). Dill further elaborates that these strategic decisions include ones that determine the scale and scope of an institution, the geographical area it will serve, the type of students it is to serve, its core competencies (the areas in which the institution will differentiate itself from other institutions), as well as the basic values of the institution. When arrived at on a consensual basis, the mission statement can be an effective tool for guiding strategic criteria that shape the programs, policies and initiatives within the institution. Effective leadership in redirecting the mission of an institution is critical to its success. Institutional commitment to increase diversity must begin with reviewing the mission of the institution and supporting diversity efforts across the entire institution. A leader who is called to transform an institution cannot expect success unless the community supports those strategies and "vision". Effective leadership in diversity initiatives is going to incorporate insight into the current postsecondary industry environment, and be the source of initiatives or vision, that gives the institution a sense of direction. Additionally, supportive leadership is vital in terms of providing or assuring that the institution is willing to provide the necessary investment and incentives for the development of ideas and initiatives put forth by the faculty and staff.

Redesigning Structure

Improving minority participation has to be valued as a top priority by the administration, in order to emphasize that this issue is central to the mission of the institution. Allocation of resources for these efforts requires active support by leadership. Senior administrators can set examples by adopting policies to increase the pool of potential minority faculty and administrative candidates, and can use their position to distribute information and support through publications, speeches and workshops (Richardson, 1989). Elements of strategic planning are critical at this stage. Strategic planning seeks to recognize the unique environment of the organization, promotes high levels of participation by those affected by the planning, and attempts to analyze the impact of plans within that organization. It is at this stage that contextual planning focuses on redesign - how to reorganize the academic functions and structures to adapt to the new, changing population. While people may not resist change, they may resist being changed (Chaffee and Jacobson, 1997). Hence inclusionary planning and decision making is critical in this type of change initiative. This may be particularly true in the college environment, where a traditional view of collegial participation is expected, and is a valuable asset in the contextual planning approach. A key element of contextual planning acknowledges that in a changing environment, multiple programmatic efforts may be desirable. It assumes that the faculty and staff of a postsecondary institution might have a number of ideas for initiatives on increasing diversity that may differ from department to department. An element of experimentation and risk-taking is integral in contextual planning in a changing environment, and multiple approaches to the goal are welcome and necessary.

Renewing Culture and Climate

There is some controversy about the most effective means for an institution to become more culturally diverse. Some advocate for an individual approach (a "valuing diversity approach at the level of individual employees, designed to foster change on a personal basis), while others believe that changing the culture has be to managed at a broader level. An effective leader will engage in both tactics. In order for the community to support change, it must not be viewed as incompatible with the existing concepts and beliefs that are held by the institution. Perhaps more than any other issue colleges and universities are facing, the issue of diversity is one that must be dealt with at the level of organizational culture. It is tied up with issues of justice, equality, fairness, "right" and "wrong" and belief. Bolman and Deal (1997) found that meaning, belief and faith are central to the symbolic perspective of the organization. Understanding the culture of the organization is vital because any planning process that goes against the dominant culture is bound to face huge obstacles. Renewing and recreating the institutional culture is a fourth step in the contextual planning process.

According to Chung (1996) experts on diversity agree that organizational culture holds the key to long-term success of organizational diversity efforts. The environment the college provides will have a direct relationship to the level of achievement (persistence and graduation rates) of minority students. Simply admitting larger numbers of racially diverse students, without changing current educational practices, priorities and values, will only result in disaffected students and employees and substantial dropout rates. The environment of the institution is the observable product of the invisible culture (Richardson, 1989) of the institution.

Diversity Initiatives and Seven Elements in the Planning Process

While the four planning issues provide areas of potential change for an institution, seven more specific "process elements" were outlined by Peterson (1997), that provide a guide for contextual planning. These were based on the experience of several institutions that have attempted to adapt to the changing postsecondary industry. The seven elements are, insight, initiatives, investment in infrastructure, incentives, involvement, information and integration.

Insight

Insight is closely tied to assessing the rapidly changing external environment and postsecondary industry, and asking questions that may help determine in what direction the institution wants to move. It may involve determining what is happening "out there" - who is courting minority students, where the competition is coming from for these students, where the emerging knowledge industry is headed. Previously, we have determined that new demanders of education will increasingly come from the ethnic minority group, and future employers will need an educated workforce. New competition for the traditional college education model is coming from both private and government sources, who may be able or willing to provide education and training at a cost substantially less than many colleges and universities. New areas for cooperation or collaboration either within the traditional college/university model or with these new education providers may need to be considered. External competition may be the impetus for increased collaboration between formerly competing institutions. According to Adams and Palmer (1993), "public and private academic institutions may profit more from finding ways to cooperate than they will from escalating competition" (p. 24). In a recent graduate cognitive-psychology class at Carnegie-Mellon University, one-third of the students were actually enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh. Arrangements such as this can also be used to increase diversity at institutions. In 1992, American University signed an agreement with Ritseumeikan University in Japan to offer a joint master's degree in international relations (Adams and Palmer, 1993), an arrangement that was not only academically advantageous, but also provided a new way to increase diversity. Collaboration with K-12 institutions has also proven helpful in strengthening the academic pipeline for minority students. For instance, in Philadelphia, the "Philadelphia Partnership" program has resulted has had positive results in increasing the participation in higher education from minority students in the twenty-two neighborhood high schools (Diversity Blueprint, 1998). Institutions demonstrating success in implementing diversity initiatives will have insight into the changing postsecondary industry, and the dynamic interplay between the institution and the external environment.

Initiatives

Determining the most appropriate initiatives (that clarify the direction in which the institution should head) will generally involve an institutional self-assessment to determine strengths and weaknesses of the institution. This often involves reviewing the mission of the institution as well. Doing an internal assessment might suggest a new direction for mission or reinforce current one. If the changes identified involve serving a very different clientele (e.g., recruiting and educating more minority students) this may imply potentially substantial institutional change that will require strong leadership skills, and an in-depth analysis of the institution's culture and climate. As a first step, many institutions will conduct self-studies (Galligani, 1984; Bensimon, 1993) of the institution's climate and culture. Assessments can be used to determine what parts of the organizational structure may hinder or help the process (Bensimon, 1993) by determining where different departments or groups within the university are, in their approach to diversity issues. Initial assessments may involve such things as student surveys, focus groups (Harris and Kayes, 1997) and interviews with various people and departments on campus. Initial assessments include a study of the college's history, traditions, and current values (Harris, 1992), and many questions should be asked at this stage about the desires of the faculty, the college's mission and goals, relationships between administrators and faculty, and the treatment of students (Harris, 1992). These questions help develop understanding of the where the college is in the process, and of its current climate and culture. Data on current statistics (enrollment, retention, and graduate rates) should be gathered to help determine a "base line", which is used later in follow studies on the effectiveness of diversity strategies. Galligani (1984) provides a more thorough discussion on core elements that should be included in a "cultural study" of an institution. Establishing a set of initiatives helps form a "vision" for the institution and creates a sense of direction. It implies that specific efforts designed to achieve that vision and move in that direction, will be supported by management with appropriate resources.

Investment in Infrastructure

Contextual planning may be particularly suited to the college/university environment because it takes advantage of a well-educated work force (faculty) to produce numerous ideas, programs and plans that can move the institution in the directions identified in the initial planning stages. Unlike strategic planning which generally defines priorities and programs that will receive support ahead of time, contextual planning understands that in a rapidly changing environment, allowances must be made for innovative or experimental ventures that can adapt to these changes. The institution must be willing to invest in infrastructure that will support groups in the development of ideas and programs that support the institutional initiatives. Institutional leadership will be key in the areas of investing in institutional infrastructure - giving faculty and staff the support to initiate new or experimental ideas to promote diversity. These ideas may be strictly internal to the institution, or may involve making new connections with external constituencies. For instance, the university may want to explore the use of articulation agreements with other education providers, that would allow the transfer of "credits" from these programs to a degree program at the institution, in a fashion similar to articulation agreements found between area community colleges and four year programs. This would be done in connection with a review of enrollment trends of minority students, and the institution's own unique mission and programs.

Incentives

Together with a commitment to investment, the institution will need to make allowances for incentives to reward faculty, staff or offices that engage in programs that move the institution along its commitment to new initiatives. Incentives can be fiscal in nature, but can also involve public recognition or release time from other responsibilities. Incentives and rewards will ensure increased participation and the likelihood that a diversity of ideas and programs will be undertaken. Support may provide incentives (e.g. recognition or reward of some kind) for successful initiatives, and will involve institution wide involvement in the issue. Specific changes in processes or structures may be made in this phase. Programs may require purchase of new equipment, development of new relationships with external constituents or changes in hiring of staff. For contextual planning to work most effectively, planning should involve most, if not all, segments of the institution. Richardson (1989) discusses various stages of diversity interventions that include several discrete interventions (e.g., recruitment and financial aid strategies, curriculum offerings). For instance, institutions may alter course scheduling so that more courses are available on weekends or evenings, to attract students who may be working or have other commitments. Cross registration agreements with other institutions that enroll a high number of minority students is another sort of discrete measure. As an example, Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio has an agreement with Wilberforce University, a historically black college located less than 30 miles away in which students may take courses at either campus. The Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE) institutions also has an agreement by which students may cross register for courses. Active recruitment of minority students from colleges and universities involved in these types of consortial arrangements, is one way colleges could increase the representation of minority students in the classroom. Caution must be taken if these kinds of strategies cause dissension or exacerbate tension. These kinds of results indicate the likelihood that institutional leaders need to give higher priority to this issue.

Other steps to implement diversity initiatives are discussed by Gillett-Karam and Roueche (1991), Harris (1992), and Sanchez (1992). Although the order of introduction of diversity initiatives may differ according to the beliefs of the authors, diversity initiatives generally fall into a few distinct categories. Besides the issue of campus climate and culture, these include the role of leadership on campus, workshops and training for employees, and curriculum development. Student affairs initiatives may also be included in this list.

Involvement

Increased involvement in initiatives in crucial to the success of creating campus-wide changes. If only a few individuals or programs are working towards these initiatives, success in creating transformational change will be limited. Opportunities for any individual or program wishing to participate in change initiatives should be made available. This may involve reviewing any institutional barriers to participation such as workloads or job descriptions, or policies and procedures that may inhibit or limit participation in change initiatives. Information about initiatives that are taking place on campus must be widely distributed. Lack of awareness of programs can limit their success. Dissemination of information about initiatives and plans to the entire campus is a key element of successfully promoting diversity initiatives, which may in turn promote further initiatives, and additional integration of diversity planning to the entire campus.

Information

Information should be distributed both internally and externally, in order to enhance participation and involvement. Public recognition of successful initiatives can provide both incentives for additional efforts, and new opportunities for cooperation with external constituents who hear about successful programs.

Intergration

Because contextual planning focuses mainly on stimulating new ideas and experimentation in a rapidly changing environment, it is important for institutions to periodically step back and assess and refocus change efforts. New programs and efforts must be integrated into the organization, and become part of ongoing management efforts. Continual assessment of work and progress to date is key to both contextual planning and to diversity initiatives as they appear in the literature. Base-line data collected during the initial stages of a planning process, must be compared and contrasted periodically with data collected after implementing these initiatives. Although there has been recent de-emphasis on quantifying diversity, accountability is still important, and follow up studies on the effectiveness of diversity strategies should be conducted. This continuous method of insight-action-assessment-insight mimics what Argyris and Schon (1978) call "double loop learning", which works well in the contextual planning process. Successful programs will be reinforced, while others may be changed or eliminated. Contextual planning, although more "free form" in nature than traditional strategic planning approaches, does not assume that there can be an unending number of new programs and efforts, or that they can stand alone without ongoing support from management.

A 1998 study by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education outlined the "Best Practices" in institutional planning for diversity. Twenty institutions in four western states (Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota and Oregon) identified the most important elements used in increasing diversity on campus. These elements closely pattern the seven elements of the planning process found in contextual planning:

Commision Findings	Elementin Contextual Planning Process
Shared Campus Vision Seek Opportunities to Work Collaboratively with Local, State, Regional and National Bodies	Insights
Create Comprehensive Institutional Plan	Initiatives
Allocate Sufficient Resources for both Planning And Implementation Secure Strong Support from Institutional Lenders	Investment
Ensure all Stakeholders Participate in Planning Process Establish Open and On-going Communication with All Campus Constituencies	Incentives, Involvement and Information
Include On-going Assessment and Accountability	Integration Measures

Conclusions

While changing demographics may be one element of the quickly changing environment that colleges and universities are facing in the new postsecondary knowledge industry, the issue of making our institutions more multiculturally diverse, is also a candidate for the contextual planning process itself. Changing demographics are a "moving target". The environment surrounding the issue of diversity initiatives on campuses is experiencing uncertainty in both the legal and political arenas. New competition for minority students may arise from other areas - corporate, private and government - as college costs rise, and innovations in technology appear. Campuses that are looking at diversity initiatives need to do an environmental scan, and look at new ways the institution may interact with the outside world. At the same time, institutions may need to analyze, refine and perhaps even redefine their own mission, in light of these changes. Effective leadership is crucial in this process, as is the involvement of faculty and staff across all levels of the institution. Diversity initiatives sponsored by faculty, staff and administrators need the support and backing of the university leadership. Finally, the very culture of the university has to be addressed. Because change is continuous, institutions need to constantly assess and review their progress towards their goals, and accept that goals may need to be redefined as changes in the environment occur. The dynamic interplay between the changing environment and the goals and mission of the institution will be a constant challenge for leadership at the institutional level.

Recommended Reading

Readers interested in the contextual planning approach to change and transformation should read "Using Contextual Planning to Transform Institutions" by Marvin Peterson, as well as "Understanding the Competitive Environment of the Postsecondary Knowledge Industry" by Peterson and Dill, both found in the book, Planning and Management for a Changing Environment (1997).

Additional readings on analyzing and assessing institutional culture can be found in ACE's monograph "On Change III, Taking Charge of Change: A Primer for Colleges and Universities"; Chaffee and Jacobson's article, "Creating and Changing Institutional Culture" (in Planning and Management for a Changing Environment, Peterson, Dill and Mets, Eds.); Cultural Diversity in Organizations by Taylor Cox, Jr.; "Creating a Climate of Institutional Inclusiveness" by Zelema Harris; Richardson's monograph, Institutional Climate and Minority Achievement (1989), and Galligani's, Changing the Culture of the University (1984).

For specific information on case studies and diversity initiatives at the institutional level, the reader may want to look at the book, Cultural Pluralism on Campus, by Harold Cheatham and Associates, Caryn Musil's monograph, Diversity in Higher Education: A Work In Progress, and Richardson and Skinner's, Achieving Quality and Diversity: Universities in a Multicultural Society. The crucial role of leadership in the planning process is discussed in a number of these works as well. For case studies looking at diversity initiatives within specific disciplines of the curriculum, the reader may want to review the book, Multicultural Education in Colleges and Universities by Ball, Berkowitz and Mzamane.

REFERENCES

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