MOVING BEYOND #GOVERNANCESOWHITE: (Re)Imagining a Demographic Shift in the Future of Boards of Higher Education - June 2024

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Higher education scholarship emphasizes equity, diversity, and inclusivity, yet these principles are largely missing from discussions about boards of higher education. This paper offers a historical overview of trustee board demographics from inception to the present and uses critical literacy to expose the lack of discourse on boards’ diversity. It contrasts long-standing board homogeneity with increasing student heterogeneity and examines how racism limits diversification of decision-makers, including a California case on persistent diversity gaps.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

ABSTRACT

Keywords

Governance and board demographics

Equity, diversity, and board representation

California case context

Organizational theory and debate

UC Berkeley Research and Occasional Papers Series Title MOVING BEYOND \#GOVERNANCESOWHITE: (Re)Imagining a Demographic Shift in the Future of Boards of Higher Education Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9cq8f8vc](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9cq8f8vc) Authors Dominguez, Valeria Galan, Carlos Rall, Raquel Publication Date 2024-06-07 Peer reviewed [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.5.2024 MOVING BEYOND \#GOVERNANCESOWHITE: (Re)Imagining a Demographic Shift in the Future of Boards of Higher Education June 2024 Valeria G. Dominguez* University of California, Riverside Carlos A. Galan California State University, San Bernardino Raquel M. Rall University of California, Riverside Copyright 2024 Valeria G. Dominguez, Carlos A. Galan, Raquel M. Rall, all rights reserved. ABSTRACT While current higher education literature stresses the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusivity, these imperatives have been mainly absent from conversations related to boards of higher education. In this paper, the authors present a historical overview of the demographic landscape of trustee boards from inception to the present. Using critical literacy as a methodology, the authors problematize the lack of discourses regarding Board’s diversity. The authors juxtapose the longstanding homogeneity of boards with the increasing heterogeneity of higher education students and argue that systemic forms of racism have denied the opportunity to diversify those in charge of making decisions in higher education. Additionally, using the case of California, the authors problematize how diversity gaps in board composition manifest even within one of the most diverse and liberal states in the country. Ultimately, the authors make a case for diversifying the board of trustees as an instrumental step to align with the national push for enhanced diversity and equity in higher education. Keywords: governing boards, diversity, equity, race, critical literacy The diversity of the people of California has been the source of innovative ideas and creative accomplishments throughout the state’s history into the present. Diversity–a defining feature of California’s past, present, and future–refers to the variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. Such differences include race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geographic region, and more. Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement (amended 2010) * Valeria Dominguez is a Lecturer at the University of California, Riverside in the department of Education. She is a former two-time recipient of the CSHE Gardner Fellowship for her dissertation research “Counter-Stories of Women of Color Navigating the Trusteeship: A Critical Race Feminism Analysis of the Organizational Culture of Higher Education Boards in the U.S.” Email contact: [Valeria.orue@email.ucr.edu](Valeria.orue@email.ucr.edu) For those concerned with improving the conditions of racially minoritized communities in higher education, outcries and demands to improve university practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion are nothing new. Despite the continuous growth in student diversity during the 21st century, top decisionmakers in higher education remain overwhelmingly unchanged by race and gender (American Council on Education [ACE], 2017; Campaign for College Opportunity [CCO], 2024; Hazelrigg, 2019; Women’s Power Gap, 2022) . Boards of Trustees (Boards1) are not an exception; as such, they are the focus of our discussion within this study. U.S. governing boards are powerful actors that affect higher education life, culture, and sustainability (Rallet al., 2018) . Boards play a significant fi

FAQs

What gap does the paper identify in higher education board discussions?

The paper argues that equity, diversity, and inclusivity imperatives have been largely absent from conversations about boards of higher education.

How does the paper study trustee board diversity?

It provides a historical overview of trustee board demographics and uses critical literacy to problematize the lack of discourses regarding boards’ diversity.

Why focus on California in this study?

Using California as a case, the authors show how diversity gaps in board composition persist even within one of the most diverse and liberal states.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys