Mary Tupan-Wenno, executive director of the ECHO Center for Diversity Policy, the Netherlands, and J.A.W.J. Leerdam, Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (Dutch House of Representatives), were among a Dutch delegation from universities, other higher education institutions; the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Dutch parliament who visited Howard University during a program sponsored by the Howard University Graduate School and ECHO on October 5, 2007.

The visit was an effort to promote the entry, transfer and graduation of students from ethnic minority backgrounds into higher education in the Netherlands and also to hear the best practices and experiences of Howard administrators, faculty and graduate students on the subject of matriculation and degree completion of graduate students of diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Delivering the morning’s keynote address, Tupan-Wenno stated that many of the new students in the Netherlands higher education institutions have a diverse migration history and cultural/social heritage, are bi- and multilingual, and are first generation higher education students. She also noted that minorities in the Netherlands are chiefly from the Caribbean, Morocco, Surinam, and Turkey, with the newcomers and refugees coming from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans. “The ethnic minority students encounter more barriers in higher education and the labor market compared to native Dutch students,” she stated, adding that “breaking the cycle in performance and images associated with minorities in higher education will be good for all students, but most of all for Dutch society.”

Her organization, ECHO, works in concert with colleges and universities, ethnic minority organizations, student organizations, and public bodies like the ministry of education, culture and science; the ministry of social affairs and employment; and private corporations to achieve these goals.  Further, it focuses on the co-financing, support and guidance of various projects undertaken with higher education institutions. It also underwrites projects that aim to educate ethnic minority students in order to enable them to work professionally in a multicultural society. 

Beginning with welcome remarks by Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Orlando L. Taylor, the day-long visit also included the participation of two panels.  The first panel, moderated by Lisa Rawlings, doctoral student, School of Social Work, was titled, “The Life and Experiences of Graduate Students of Color.”  This panel of students, from a variety of academic and cultural backgrounds, included  graduate students Wayne Johnson, Jamila Cupid, Mohammed Taqi Tirmazi, Nameka Bates, president, National Black Graduate Student Association; Tehani Finch, Nadine Goldberg, Sheba Kane, Camila Pereira, and Shelly McDowell.  They discussed their experiences in academic institutions both in the United States, including Howard, and in  abroad.  For example, Mohammed Taqi Tirmazi, a native of Los Angeles whose parents migrated to the United States from Pakistan when he was eleven years old, said that his experience at Howard was the first time that he had felt completely accepted. “Howard has provided a different experience for me because, as an immigrant, this is the first time I have felt accepted regardless of my religion or ethnicity in an educational setting. The faculty at Howard, especially in the School of Social Work, have been extremely supportive and have always made time to mentor [me] and other students,” he stated.

Nadine Goldberg compared her experiences in London in predominantly white schools to that of Howard where for the first time she is experiencing education with a diverse, but predominantly African American, faculty.  She noted that her teachers in London who were “culturally competent,” or who made an effort to understand the backgrounds and interests of students and others of different cultures, were most able to relate to her as an African American student. This comment sparked a lively exchange between the panel and the Dutch delegation of the meaning of “cultural competence” and how teachers and others who embrace this concept could assist students of various cultures to reach their personal and academic goals.

Later in the day, a higher education and leadership development panel included Jamie Merisotis, president, Institute for Higher Education Policy; Harold Scott, deputy assistant director, the Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard; Chontrese Doswell, assistant dean, Retention, Mentoring, Support Programs and Co-PI with Vice Provost Taylor of the Ph.D. Completion Project; and Christal Evans, program coordinator, Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program.

Tupan-Wenno stated that her organization is specifically addressing the issue of inclusion of minorities in higher education in the Netherlands by initiating research, advising universities and ministries, lobbying with members of Parliament, organizing conferences, organizing study tours, developing training and by collaborating with students and student organizations.

She believes that the most common issue relative to inclusion among U.S. and Netherlands higher education is the improvement of retention and the successful graduation of ethnic minority/migrant/ first generation students.

“The next steps are breaking cycles in thinking, acting and policy making and to improve the quantity and quality of guidance and support in general and for migrant students specifically. Not that our students need more guidance, but they definitely need another type of guidance…guidance to empower them to be proud of their heritage and of what they and their families have achieved so far. Visiting Howard University was actual proof of how different (more personal and committed) professors communicated with their students. This makes students proud of what they are doing which will certainly have an effect on their retention. Study motivation improves retention is what came out of our research,”  stated Tupan-Wenno.

           For more information on the presentation by Mary Tupan-Wenno, click here.