Should UNC-Chapel Hill, the flagship university of North Carolina, represent the diversity of the state? That is a question that seems to be on many minds. Because diversity does offer benefits, such as exposure to different cultures, interaction with others from different backgrounds, and opportunity for everyone, the answer usually comes back as an emphatic “yes.” And, of course, Carolina is known here as “the university of the people.”
However, to thoughtfully answer the question, one must ask, “Represent the diversity of the state in terms of what? Ethnicity? Gender? Sexual orientation? Economic class? Viewpoint?”
Depending on their politics, different groups want some types of diversity at UNC but not others.Depending on their politics, I’d assert that different groups want some types of diversity at UNC but not others. I imagine those on the left desire ethnic diversity but would be reluctant to bring in large numbers of conservative professors to increase the UNC faculty’s political diversity. Meanwhile, those on the right would likely hesitate to surrender trustee and governor board seats to liberals, given that they see those bodies as balancing the faculty’s politics.
To further the discussion, consider a few facts.
- From a gender standpoint, UNC’s student population is 60 percent female, 40 percent male.
- From an ethnic-orientation perspective, compared to the state itself, UNC has a higher percentage of Asian students, is roughly on par for percentages of white and Hispanic students, and has a lower percentage of black students.
- In terms of median family income, 60 percent of UNC students come from families in the top-20-percent income bracket. Twenty-seven percent come from families in the top-five-percent income bracket.
- Where viewpoint diversity is concerned, North Carolina is a purple state with a divided electorate of conservatives, liberals, and moderates. However, UNC’s faculty is much more liberal than is the state (16-1 liberal-to-conservative ratio per one study), and UNC’s undergraduate student body is at a 4-1 ratio of liberals to conservatives. However, UNC’s Board of Trustees has more conservatives than liberals.
Consider this. To achieve diversity, is it wise or feasible to do the following?
- Change UNC’s admissions process to target a 50-50 male-female split and ensure gender equality and diversity?
- Significantly amend UNC’s admissions policy to guarantee an equal proportion of liberal, moderate, and conservative students?
- Drastically alter UNC’s hiring and retention policies to enable a one-to-one ratio of liberal and conservative professors?
- Change the Board of Trustees’ appointment policy to achieve a balance of liberal and conservative trustees?
- Address ethnic imbalances given the recent SCOTUS decision on affirmative action?
- Force students into certain fields to ensure demographic balance in the humanities, STEM, and every other field and sub-field?
Obviously, to do the above would be either unpalatable, illegal, or both. Yet many continue to say that UNC must exactly represent the diversity of the state. Let us take a step back and consider the issue thoughtfully, starting with the mission of Carolina.
UNC is one university out of 16 in the North Carolina public-university system. In addition to those 16, North Carolina has 58 (yes, 58!) community colleges. UNC is not just one post-secondary option out of 74 but the flagship university of the system. If we think of all 74 institutions arranged in a pyramid, UNC would sit at the apex. UNC, with 30,000 students, makes up only about 3.5 percent of the roughly 850,000 post-secondary students in North Carolina. And, don’t forget, only 38 percent of North Carolina high-school students go on to post-secondary education, so already the group that has a chance of entering in the first place does not map onto the rest of the state.
Flagship universities are by design exclusive, not inclusive.Within a state’s public-university system, different institutions have different roles. UNC’s role is that of a flagship university. Flagship universities are usually the first established public university in a state, a leader in research, the host of a broad portfolio of graduate programs, the possessor of large endowments, the host of a medical and law school, and the beneficiary of top-notch national sports programs. Entry into these universities is merit-based, so not everyone gets in. They are by design exclusive, not inclusive.
UNC’s acceptance rate is roughly 17 percent overall and 43 percent for in-state applicants, making it extremely competitive to enter. Carolina is among the top five best public universities in the United States. Based on its role, it is not surprising that UNC does not precisely represent the state’s population. More broadly speaking, it’s not reasonable to expect most organizations to closely match broader society.
The reality is that UNC’s role exists within a system of institutions. UNC’s mission is distinct within the UNC System: to create the next generation of leaders for the state, the nation, and the world. That is the same role that is replicated at every flagship university in every state in the union.
Given the above, it’s not surprising that UNC doesn’t exactly mirror the diversity of the state. To be clear, different types of diversity are important, and each has a role to play. In fact, UNC’s stated mission is “to serve as a center for research, scholarship, and creativity and to teach a diverse community of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students to become the next generation of leaders.”
However, while this means that our community should be diverse and reflect many of the segments of North Carolina, it is not possible for UNC to closely mirror the diversity of the state in every metric.
How, then, should we think about the diversity question? Knowing that perfect mapping with N.C.’s demographics is not in the cards, are there some types of diversity worth pursuing more than others?
Let us start with the traditional role of the university, the pursuit of truth and knowledge. This is important because, to quote former Harvard president Larry Summers, “A world better understood is a world made better.” Only through faculty training students to fearlessly pursue truth and knowledge, and through faculty doing so themselves, can that happen. By exposing students to ideas, teaching them that real-world problems are complex and require trade-offs, instructing them on how to perform research, and educating them to communicate clearly, universities can help society solve its problems and thus improve our state, nation, and world.
Viewpoint diversity is the diversity that is most fundamental for a university to pursue its mission.To fulfill this mission, then, universities such as UNC must also promote free expression, viewpoint diversity, and constructive dialogue. Without access to, or knowledge about, different views (which can be heard and tested only in an environment of free expression and constructive dialogue), students will have a warped view of the world and support incorrect conclusions and actions. Therefore, viewpoint diversity is the diversity that is most fundamental for a university to pursue its mission. That is doubly true of a flagship university such as UNC, which has the role of producing tomorrow’s leaders, those who will set the course for the future. This does not mean that other types of diversity are unimportant. It does mean that they should not be prioritized over viewpoint diversity.
In the past, UNC and other universities, in the pursuit of identity diversity and social justice, have unfortunately strayed from the pursuit of truth and knowledge. That is the wrong path. We do not want to end up with universities at which everyone looks different but thinks the same. To meet its obligations, the institution must change.
The good news is that UNC has taken many steps in the right direction to return to the path of pursuing truth and knowledge. With the adoption of the Chicago Principles, research on student free expression, the creation of the Program for Public Discourse, the founding of the School of Civic Life and Leadership, the adoption of institutional neutrality, and other such steps, UNC has taken major strides and become a leader other universities can follow.
UNC will never mirror the demographics of North Carolina, nor should it aim to do so. However, it can still be a diverse community while aspiring to fulfill its mission as a flagship university. It can do so by exposing its leaders of tomorrow to a diverse set of ideas and giving them the opportunity to discuss and explore so they can pursue truth and knowledge. By doing so, it will help them better understand the world so they can make the world better.
Mark McNeilly is a professor of the practice at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. The views expressed are his own and are not meant to represent the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.