Chapter 4: Considering Race and Ethnicity in Supervision

Race is perhaps one of the most pervasive constructs developed by man in the history of civilization. While man-made and predicated on biases and unfounded claims of biological difference, it impacts the ways in which individuals navigate environments and interact with one another daily. The potential of said impact could not be more accurate for the postsecondary education system in the United States, where a multitude of identities, ideologies, and experiences converge. The United State’s system of higher education has rapidly expanded over the past several decades in terms of number of institutions, total students served, and number of employees (Shirley & Flores, 2018). Not only has America’s system of higher education expanded, but it has become more racially and ethnically diverse. There has also been a noticeable increase in student labor market participation, with employment becoming a fundamental part of life and identity composition for many students (Perna, 2010). In fact, it has become less common than one would imagine to encounter a student who hasn’t been employed at some point in college.