In 1991, The James Irvine Foundation gave Saint Mary's
$750,000 to promote diversity on campus over a three-year period. The
grant is designated for recruiting minority students and faculty,
enhancing curriculum, improving library holdings, surveying community
attitudes, and conducting sensitivity workshops.
"We have a long-standing relationship with Saint
Mary's dating back at least to the 1950s," said Collins. The
foundation gives about $30 million in grants each year, and is focused
on diversity. It seeks to fund projects that help the economically or
socially disadvantaged.
"Saint Mary's is making real progress in
diversity," Collins said. "We are impressed with the
willingness of the faculty to deal with change."
"We need to be persuaded that Saint Mary's is
engaged in the kind of education needed in California. The College has
a particularly strong tradition of inter-disciplinary learning,"
such as in the Collegiate Seminar. "We also look for strong
leadership. Obviously, the 25-year tenure of a single president is
crucial."
"We believe the Catholic college can make a
contribution in ways that a secular college cannot," Collins
said. "We like the notion that there is a philosophy, a starting
point, a baseline for the students as they engage in education."
_____
_____. "Meeting the Challenge."
1992 - 1993 President's Annual Report.
Saint Mary's College of California - excerpts. (1993),
p. 9.
