Program Description: Equal employment opportunity and affirmative action are laws and policies. Diversity, on the other hand, is about empowering people, about understanding, valuing, and capitalizing on people’s differences. Research over the past decade demonstrates that institutional commitment to diversity not only increases institutional effectiveness but also results in positive educational outcomes for all students. At the same time, higher education’s diversity imperative also enhances the ability of colleges and universities to fulfill their roles as economic engines and democratic leaders. This workshop will focus on the history of diversity and higher education to demonstrate successes and highlight the need for further advancement. National data will be used to guide small groups in discussion of some of the realities facing institutions around diversity. We will look at the issues through the paradigm of problem, cause, solution, and implementation, so that participants will leave with action ideas to take back to their respective campuses.