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CoastLine: Diversity at UNCW, CFCC, and in the Broader Community

(Left) Dr. Kent Guion, UNCW Chief Diversity Officer; (Right) Travis Corpening, Director of Nixon Male Minority Leaders, CFCC

By the year 2060, the United States will have no clear racial majority.  Both the Hispanic and Asian populations will more than double, and the black population is expected to rise from about 41 million today to about 62 million by 2060 – roughly a 50% increase.  According to the U.S. Census, this country will become a majority-minority nation for the first time in 2043.

Also worth noting when examining racial trends:  a 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center finds the following: 

"Fewer than half of all Americans say the country has made substantial progress toward racial equality and about the same share say that 'a lot more' remains to be done.  Blacks are much more downbeat than whites about the pace of progress toward a color-blind society. They are also more likely to say that blacks are treated less fairly than whites by police, the courts, public schools and other key community institutions."

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is the most racially-diverse regional university in the South, according to U.S. News and World Report.   This year, UNCW, which quantifies its diversity at 17%, has now hired it’s first-ever Chief Diversity Officer.  Cape Fear Community College, which says its student body is 75% white, also has programs in place to expand campus inclusion.

On this edition of CoastLine, we meet the two people leading those on-campus programs:

Kent Guion is the new Chief Diversity Officer hired by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.  Dr. Guion took the helm of UNCW’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion in mid-April. 

Travis Corpening is the Director of the Nixon Minority Male Leaders program at Cape Fear Community College.  He is also Chair of the Diversity Committee at CFCC.

150527SEG1.mp3
Listen to Segment 1 here.

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Listen to Segment 2 here.

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Listen to Segment 3 here.

Rachel hosts and produces CoastLine, an award-winning hourlong conversation featuring artists, humanitarians, scholars, and innovators in North Carolina. The show airs Wednesdays at noon and Sundays at 4 pm on 91.3 FM WHQR Public Media. It's also available as a podcast; just search CoastLine WHQR. You can reach her at rachellh@whqr.org.