Want a More Diverse Campus? Start at the Top

Few people who look like Ajay Nair lead colleges. Less than 17 percent of campus chief executives are nonwhite. Asians and Asian Americans make up just 2 percent of them, according to data from the American Council on Education. When Nair, who’s Indian American, became president of Arcadia University (PA) last year, he was the only person of color in the executive cabinet. Now, less than a year and a half later, 40 percent of his team are people of color, and 60 percent are women. His governing board’s racial diversity has jumped by nearly 20 percent.