A Multi-Point Call to Action for Diversifying Student Enrollment in Theatre Programs: The Framework for Providing Pathways Toward Building an Inclusive Culture

Abstract

The March 2019 issue of The Association of American Colleges and Universities reported that, in the twenty-year span between 1996 and 2016, student enrollment of non-white-identifying students increased by over 15 percent. However, according to Ben Dedman, “While the racial and ethnic make-up of students in higher education has become more diverse, ‘college faculty, staff, and administrators remain predominantly white.’” Today’s academics are not unsympathetic to the challenges of diversifying a student body and often look to expand their own diversity in appealing to the nation’s young people. Unfortunately, this perspective on diversification has proven much too simplistic to generate any substantive impact in increasing the inclusion of underrepresented groups. This article seeks to put forward a comprehensive but not exhaustive collection of recommendations to be considered in the areas of leadership and pedagogy, in part or in its entirety, in order to ensure the most audacious effort has been made to achieve this goal.