Like "outsiders"--such as the Irish and the Jewish--have been incorporated into the Americans' notions of who are whites, some scholars and policy makers believe that Asian-Americans are following such a trajectory of inclusion under an expanded definition of "whiteness." The sociologist George Yancey, in "Who Is White? Latinos, Asians, and the…

Largely because of their high aspirations for their children, many Chinese immigrants are acutely aware of the University of California's new undergraduate-admissions policy. With the new policy, the Board of Regents hopes to widen the applicant pool and give campuses more flexibility in selecting students. Asian-Americans bitterly oppose it,…

This article reports the results of a new study on the impact of bans on race-conscious admissions policies which seem to confirm what many critics of affirmative action have long suspected: It is Asian-Americans, rather than whites, who are most disadvantaged by elite universities' consideration of ethnicity and race. Left unanswered are the…

For having achieved a mild cult status after doing the movie "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," lead actors John Cho and Kal Penn deserve their fame, their million-dollar paychecks, and their groupies. Do they deserve Ivy League teaching jobs? This spring Penn (whose real name is Kalpen Modi) taught a large lecture class, "Images of Asian…

Nearly 10 years ago, the author wrote an essay for "The Chronicle" on the underrepresentation of Asian-Americans in academic leadership, especially in institutions and disciplines that have a high percentage of students and faculty members of Asian or Pacific Island ancestry. There have been changes over the past 10 years, but not so much for…

In 2005, 109,964 U.S. minority scholars held full-time faculty positions at American colleges and universities, up from 69,505 in 1995, according to the Education Department--a 58-percent increase. The proportion of minority scholars in the overall professoriate also rose, but not as much. The department found that 16.5 percent of scholars were…

Allegations that colleges discriminate against Asian Americans in undergraduate admissions are discussed in light of record numbers of Asian Americans being admitted to the nation's elite colleges and universities this fall. (MLW)

Asian-Americans, who have traditionally shied away from political activity or have focused efforts more narrowly, are emerging in California as a workable political force in a statewide lobbying organization. (MSE)

A survey of 536 institutions shows Black, Hispanic, and Asian graduate enrollments outpaced the overall national increase of 2.9 percent, with increases ranging from 8.4 percent to 13.1 percent. American Indians were the only American minority group not increasing its participation. More aggressive recruiting and an improved academic market are…

Many Asian-American studies programs have emerged on college campuses recently, due largely to high Asian-American enrollment and student pressure. The field originated in the 1960s, and has broadened to incorporate many ethnic groups. Courses may be either broad-based, comparing ethnic or immigrant groups, or narrowly focused on specific themes.…

Reports study findings indicating that the share of college and university presidencies held by women doubled from 1986 to 1998, and that of African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and American Indian presidents rose by 40 percent. Graphs detail findings concerning presidents' characteristics, percentage of women and minority presidents by…

Activists say colleges have a tendency to view all Asian Americans as a "model minority" succeeding without need for affirmative action. Demographic diversity of Asian Americans raises complex questions for institutions, who are unable to provide for needs of refugees, recent immigrants, and native-born Americans in two dozen ethnic…

Charges that some elite colleges may be purposefully limiting the admission of persons of Asian descent are discussed. The charges, based largely on admissions statistics, have proved difficult to substantiate. The academic interests of Asian students are weighted toward science, making competition for admission in that area more difficult. (MLW)

Woman scholars at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians called for a new "multi-cultural approach" that would weave the lives of Hispanic, Black, Asian-American, and American Indian women into women's history and into United States history. (MLW)

Enrollments of American Indians, Asians, blacks, Hispanics, whites, and foreign college students in 1992 are presented for each state and the District of Columbia.A map also indicates the percentage of each state's enrollment that is minority. (MSE)