Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2009
Abstract
Diversity is a goal of the majority of America's institutions of higher learning. These colleges and universities have made great strides in achieving representational diversity through aggressive recruiting and retention efforts. However, on campus, students infrequently engage in pluralistic diversity. This paper examines a national voluntary service organization at two pluralistically diverse universities. Semi-structured interviews with members and alumni of the association provided insight into the characteristics of the interactions they have had with those who are different from them. These insights enabled us to examine the specific organizational strategies this nonprofit adopted that promoted enriching intercultural interactions.
Keywords
business communication, enriching intercultural interactions, comfort, diversity, representational diversity, pluralistic diversity, recategorization, shared purpose, superordinate mission, sense of belonging, cultural neutrality, organizational strategies.
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Bernstein, Ruth Sessler, "Feeling Comfortable With Pluralistic Diversity: Using Common Organizational Strategies to Get Uncommon Results in Higher Education Voluntary Service Organizations" (2009). Student Scholarship. 217.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/217