Junior Siobhan Johnson is an active member of predominately minority groups and interacts regularly with a diverse cross section of people.
But when Johnson heads to class in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, she said the absence of minority students is profound.
"It's definitely different from everything else I do on campus," Johnson said. "I'm in groups like the Carolina Association of Black Journalists and the UNC Gospel Choir, which are predominantly African-American, so when I come to class, there is an obvious minority absence."
Dean Richard Cole said the school has traditionally had a minority population on par with the universitywide average. The school currently has 223 undergraduate minority students, 15.4 percent of the school's total enrollment.
"We are very proud of our record of diversity and inclusivity," Cole said.
For Bynum, a low minority population in his major does not lower his opinion of the department.
Though there are few minorities in the department, Bynum said he thinks there is a genuine concern for minorities and minority issues, especially in the PlayMakers Repertory Company.
"PlayMakers is actively pursuing the issues of minorities in theater," he said.
Department of Dramatic Art Chairman Ray Dooley said PlayMakers has adopted a colorblind casting protocol that has resulted in minority actors playing traditionally white roles.
Dooley also said that he thinks diversity is an integral part of the educational experience and that he hopes more minorities will be attracted to the dramatic art major.
"I think we have a number of attributes that would attract minority students," Dooley said.
Unlike dramatic art, the public policy major has an above-average number of undergraduate minority students -- 32.5 percent.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
Department of Public Policy Chairman Michael Stegman said that he is pleased with the relatively high number of minority students in his department and that he attributes the high number to the growth of the department and of the relevancy of issues addressed in the curriculum.
"There is a focus on problems and problem solving that touches people's lives," Stegman said.
Erica Lee, a public policy major from Houston, also said she likes the practical nature of the discipline.
"I like how public policy is based on real-life experiences and real-world issues," Lee said. "I'm interested in learning how to make the government work better for me as well as others."
Faculty
In addition to actively seeking diversity among students, officials said they are making concerted efforts to recruit minority faculty members, who make up 12 percent of the faculty.
"Every recruitment that we make is a potential to add to the diversity of the faculty," said Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff.
Because areas of study and inquiry at the University are far-reaching, Estroff said she thinks it is imperative that the faculty is diverse. She cited budget constraints and retention problems as central causes of what officials have called a lack of minority faculty.
"When another university can offer them a lot more money, it's hard for us to compete," she said.
Dooley echoed Estroff's budget concerns, saying lack of funding in the dramatic art department has prevented the hiring of new tenure-track faculty for the past five years.
"At the present time in terms of regular faculty we have no members of color," Dooley said. "We have self-identified the need to diversify the faculty."
Kenan-Flagler Business School Dean Robert Sullivan said there is a lack of qualified minorities for faculty positions, so there is a high demand for candidates. The school has 12 minority faculty members -- 11.8 percent. "We specifically try to seek out talented minority faculty," Sullivan said. "There is clearly a recognition to increase the size of the pool."
Administrative Response
Despite the gap between the number of white and minority faculty and students, officials said diversity is an integral element in any learning environment, and efforts are being made to increase the number of minorities at UNC.
"I'm going to make better decisions when I'm sitting at a table and nobody looks like me," Shelton said.
"You want that diversity of input."
Minorities make up 19.7 percent of the business school's undergraduate population and 48 percent of students in the Master's of Business Administration Program.
According to Jeff Cannon, director of the school's undergraduate program, 15 of the 20 black students who applied to enter the business school this coming fall were accepted.
Sullivan said it is much easier to attract graduate students because the school can more directly target them.
The school works to attract minorities to its graduate school through programs like the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, an alliance of 14 business schools that offers merit-based scholarships to facilitate the entry of minorities into managerial positions.
Sullivan said the school also has joined other business schools in introducing a program for minority high school students in hopes of promoting the business administration major and attracting students to the University.
Cole said the journalism school makes many efforts to recruit minorities. Also, Cole said the school has a number of scholarships with minority preference.
Shelton also suggested that more enticing introductory classes may make certain majors more attractive. He said diversity is necessary among faculty and students and that efforts like these are just the first step in making UNC a more inclusive and realistic place to teach and learn.
"It is a much better preparation and reflection of the real world," he said.
Dooley also said he strives to include minorities and minority issues in all aspects of the dramatic art department.
"We take the idea of diversity very seriously," Dooley said.
"It is not an addition to an education. It is an education."
The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.
