The Landscape of Diversity in U.S. Higher Education Geography

Abstract

Patterns of racial, ethnic, and gender participation in higher education are diverse and vary spatially, yet they fail to fully reflect the changing demographic landscape of the United States. This article explores two key questions: (1) How does diversity within geography compare to diversity within U.S. higher education more broadly? (2) How does the participation of underrepresented minorities and women in geography programs differ across regions and settings? We conclude that departmental strategies and goals for enhancing diversity should be sensitive to institutional and geographic contexts that shape individual programs’ unique opportunities and constraints.