Diversifying Graduate Education: The Promise of Intellectual Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Affirmative action is a necessary but not sufficient condition for diversifying graduate school. Increasing diversity requires us to capitalize on unintended consequences. Adopting the philosophy of intellectual entrepreneurship, although valuable to all students and disciplines, may have a special and perhaps more substantial impact on underrepresented minorities. The potential of intellectual entrepreneurship for increasing diversity inheres in its capacity to empower students to discover otherwise unobserved connections between academe and personal and professional commitments.