The place of international students in Institutional Diversity Messages of US higher Education Institutions

• In Event: 21020 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 8: DEI Policies in Education

Abstract

Though scholars have discussed the struggles and difficulties of international students in colleges and universities in the United States, theorization on their place in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) discourse in US higher education has lagged behind, instead focusing heavily on international students’ performance. Drawing on institutional diversity statements and action plans from over 800 American higher education institutions, this study examines what colleges say and do not say about, and what they do and don’t do for their international students. By doing so, we discuss how (inter)nationality, immigration status, and cultural identities are integrated into higher education institutions’ diversity messages; what language and rhetoric they use to include or exclude their international students; and whether these patterns differ by students’ countries of origin. We also interview chief diversity officers at six higher education institutions to discuss the deeper fabric of the issue. Our study contributes to a broader understanding of the burgeoning issue of the backlash against DEI, rising nationalism and far-right populism, and the ensuing culture wars on American campuses. We argue that both official and hidden messages institutions communicate to their international community shape not only the students’ feelings of belonging and acceptance but also overall experiences of social integration and assimilation that may lead them to be more or less marginalized at their institutions as well as in US society.

Authors

• Jaeun Lim, Cornell University

• Ann H. Kim, York University