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Fostering campus diversity through arts programming: a case study of culture and the arts at West Chester University
Thesis   Open access

Fostering campus diversity through arts programming: a case study of culture and the arts at West Chester University

Madeline J. Bell
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Aug 2017
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-7533
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Abstract

Arts--Management
With diversity on the rise in society, colleges and universities are tasked with finding methods of integrating multiculturalism on campus. My study investigates the effectiveness of the arts and culture programs at West Chester University (WCU), a public university in West Chester, Pennsylvania. In my preliminary research, I discover the benefits of diverse interactions among college students, the importance of educating the community on cultural acceptance, and various ways that the arts can be used to teach and present cultural differences in a positive way. Through one-on-one conversations with arts, culture, and diversity leaders at WCU, I learn that despite cultural challenges and institutional limitations, WCU's leaders have been successful at increasing the multicultural presence and serving diverse communities in and around West Chester between the years of 1993 and 2016. There are many missed opportunities, however, for collaboration, partnerships, and research practices that could improve services overall. There are also some missing links between diversity and the arts, as well as minimal communication between the individual arts programs.

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