U-M News and Information Services

College students who experience the most racial and ethnic diversity in classrooms and during interactions on campus become better learners and more effective citizens, according to an analysis conducted at the University.

The results of broad and extensive empirical studies of college students by psychology Prof. Patricia Gurin indicate that all students, members of minority groups and majority alike, learn better in a student body that includes students who are different from them.

"A racially and ethnically diverse University student body has far-ranging and significant benefits for all students," said Gurin, who also is interim dean of LS&A. "In fact, pattems of racial segregation and separation historically rooted in our national life can be broken by diversity experiences in higher education." Gurin, who prepared the study as part of her testimony as an expert defense witness in the lawsuits brought against the University's admission policies, examined national information as well as data gathered at U-M. She found that when young people are placed in racially and ethnically diverse classrooms and are exposed to classes that deal with cultural differences, they blossom intellectually when long-held beliefs and ideas are challenged.

In addition, these students develop the ability to understand the ideas and feelings of others, which in later life makes them more likely to live in racially diverse communities, maintain friendships with people of different races and able to function more effectively in an increasingly diverse workplace, Gurin concluded.

Until recently, the assumption among many non-educators and educators alike had been that a racially diverse class benefited only racial minorities.