The director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions Marybeth Gasman will engage with the Whittier College community in a discussion about diversity and higher education on April 25 at 3 p.m. The talk titled Engaging a Diverse Nation: Lessons from Minority Serving Institutions will take place at Whittier College’s Memorial Chapel, located at 13406 Philadelphia St., Whittier, CA 90601. All faculty, students, staff, and community members are welcome to attend.
With more than 60% of students of color, Whittier is one of the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the country. As a Minority and Hispanic Serving Institution, Whittier College takes great interest in Gasman's scholarship. Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are defined by the Higher Education Act as institutions with full-time undergraduate enrollments that are at least 25% Hispanic. Whittier College has approximately 40% full-time Hispanic students.
A professor of higher education in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, Gasman specializes in the history of American higher education, racism and diversity, fundraising and philanthropy, higher education leadership and Minority Serving Institutions with an emphasis on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As the founding director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), she works to amplify the contribution, strengthen, and support Minority Serving Institutions along with the scholars interested in MSIs.
Gasman is also the author and/or editor of 22 books encompassing her many areas of expertise, including Educating a Diverse Nation, Envisioning Black Colleges, Rediscovering Booker T. Washington and Academics Going Public. She has written more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, scholarly essays, and book chapters. She has also penned 350 opinion articles for the newspapers and magazines around the country and is ranked by Education Week as one of the most influential education scholars.
