Employers routinely tell us that they value the ability to perform well amidst diversity, and the most basic tasks of civic participation also require our students to negotiate diversity. So, how do we meet our students where they are with regard to diversity and help them get off to a good start?

The University of Iowa presents the opportunity for students to encounter differences along all kinds of dimensions. Some (many) of our students are white; others are African-American, Latino/a, Asian American, Native American, or from another community that is traditionally under-represented in higher education. Some of our students are from Iowa; others are from Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, one of the other states, or from abroad, notably from China. Some of our students are men, some are women, some identify in a way that’s not captured in a binary conceptualization of gender. Some usually walk to get around campus and some usually use a wheel chair or scooter. I could go on, but you get the point.

Our Iowa Challenge calls on students to Excel, Stretch, Engage, Choose, and Serve. Like most of us, our students find stretching beyond their comfort zone a challenge, and typically end up making friends with people much like themselves. We need to find ways to encourage students to reach across difference and meet people who can expand their horizons. We have some arenas in which this is natural. For example, we employ a lot of students in the Division of Student Life, and in some spots, at least, the work experience calls upon students to work with people they might not recognize as like themselves. Frankly, though, we could be a lot more intentional about creating situations that bring students together across distance.

I think that by taking a step beyond encouraging experiences with difference, we can help students improve their perspective-taking skills. We need to help them learn the value of looking at an issue from another person’s perspective. Doing so enhances communication, and it’s a boon to our students’ problem solving abilities. When we can respectfully consider another’s perspective, we can better understand that person, and the more ways we can look at an issue, the more creative we can be in addressing it.

In the Division of Student Life, we are committed to helping students encounter difference and reflect on their experiences. Do you have stories of experiences as a student that prepared you to work across differences? I’d love to hear them. It often helps when I speak with students and members of the staff and faculty, to include stories from our alumni as illustrations.