The Envision Diversity session with members of the general faculty dovetailed in many ways with the sessions for students and faculty and for classified staff. Because they work as managers and administrators of programs that touch all areas of the University, their discussion embraced a global view of diversity at the University. Many of their concerns focused as much on the environment for students and faculty as they did on their own situations.

As with the other Envision Diversity sessions, the University’s history and traditions were described as both an institutional strength and a roadblock to achieving diversity. "There are some things about Thomas Jefferson that we wish were different," one participant observed. Others linked the University’s history to the elitist, "gated community" image of U.Va. and the perception in the local community and beyond that the University is "the plantation on the hill."

Participants were willing to acknowledge the University’s progress as well as its problems in achieving diversity. General faculty who have been on the scene for some time remarked on the advances that have been made over the past twenty-five years, especially in the number of African-American students. They described a shift in attitude from a time when diversity was imposed by federal mandate to a time when the University is working on its own to build a diverse community at all levels of the institution.

Some newer members of the University community have found it a welcoming place to be, but they are still waiting to see if U.Va. is truly open to change. Others say their encounters at the University are "outwardly friendly," but this attitude does not always translate into institutional support.

Some participants described the University as a cosmopolitan community with many viewpoints. Others have encountered a closed society, both within the University and in the surrounding area. Many are troubled by the decentralization of the institution and the wide disparity in work environments among departments. "In some places, there is a wealth of distrust between staff and their managers," it was pointed out.

One participant noted that there is a sense of tension at the University that comes from new ideas butting heads with tradition, and that this tension can be a force for positive change. Others described the University as conservative and Southern — a place where there are unwritten rules that you discover only when you have made mistakes and where people mask their disagreements. As one member of the general faculty put it, "the art of the pocket veto is well developed here."

When asked to enumerate the University’s core strengths, participants cited many of the same attributes that alumni see as U.Va.’s defining elements. These include the Honor System, the prominent role that students play in University governance, the commitment to excellence in all areas, and our aspiration to stand among the nation’s best universities, not just public institutions. Programs that help to build bridges in the community, such as the Women’s Center, won praise, as did the University’s willingness to talk about diversity. "I understand the frustration of nothing coming out of these conversations," said one participant, "but in other places, these conversations aren’t happening at all."

Turning to major issues facing the University now and in the years ahead, participants raised the following concerns:

		The state budget cuts and their effect on morale
		The class system that clearly divides faculty, general faculty, and staff, and how this system prevents the University from achieving a cohesive community
		The need for the University to take courageous steps (in court, if necessary) to uphold affirmative action and to extend the same benefits to life-partners and children of gay and lesbian employees that heterosexual married spouses and step-children receive (health insurance, access to recreation facilities, and so on)
		The need to increase the diversity of the faculty, which will require competitive salaries and benefits and a change in culture
		The need to place more minorities in key leadership positions to make diversity tangible
		Rising tuition, an obstacle for minority students who may not be fully aware of (or may not be fully eligible for) financial aid options
		The dominance of the fraternity and sorority system in student life
		The lingering effects of segregation at the University and in Virginia
		"Heteronormativity" of employee social support systems and homophobia among faculty and staff (in addition to the lack of benefits mentioned above)
		An acute unfriendliness toward single parents (whether students, faculty or staff)
		An ongoing failure on the part of the University to provide health benefits to part-time employees (even though the General Assembly has approved this) adds to the real class divide, since part-time employees are largely female and/or racial minorities.
		Insufficient diversity in the pools of candidates considered for University positions. Although there are guidelines for including minority candidates, they are easy to get around.
		Our blinkered view of diversity — it must go beyond race to encompass sexual orientation, as well as diverse cultures, nationalities, class, values, abilities, and lifestyles.

Turning to the issue of self-segregation among students at the University, some participants worry that this is a sign of racial division and possibly tension within the student body. Others took a more sanguine view, noting that students are likely to cluster along racial lines for comfort and support at lunchtime or in their dorms. In other situations, such as in the classroom or in student organizations, there is often much more interaction among students of different races. As one administrator described it, after dealing with the challenges of the classroom, where there may be only a handful or maybe no African-American peers, a student will gravitate toward "the opportunity to exhale."

A number of participants called for creating a more formal structure for promoting multicultural interaction. Because the University is not in a major urban area, it must take extraordinary measures to foster diversity. Students come to the University looking forward to the opportunity to interact with diverse populations, but when they get here, they have to seek out or create those opportunities on their own. It was suggested that a collaboration among the offices of admissions, athletics, and development could build programs that bring students and faculty of diverse races and backgrounds together.

Participants called for an ongoing analysis of why faculty of color leave the University to find ways to retain others. Members of the general faculty are willing to help develop strategies for making the University a welcoming and nurturing environment for minority scholars. They also called for the top administration (including the Board of Visitors) to articulate a clear vision, with a timeline, for increasing faculty diversity. Equally important is the effort to recruit a diverse population of graduate students, the faculty of the future. Similarly, the University should address the loss of gay and lesbian faculty, staff, and graduate students to the nearly 200 institutions that offer domestic-partner benefits and that provide a more hospitable environment.

Asked to imagine headlines that might appear in the news in the years ahead, participants offered the following

		Board of Visitors Appoints Renowned African-American Scientist, but race isn’t mentioned because there is no need to
		Peer Institutions Look to U.Va. for Diversity Plan
		U.Va. Appoints First Female African-American President
		Supreme Court Upholds U.Va. Affirmative Action Policy
		U.Va. Named Friendliest Workplace for Women, Minority, Lesbian, Gay, and International Faculty and Staff
		Son of Hispanic U.Va. President and Her Partner, Sally Jones, Enters the University
		Minority Student Population Up 25 Percent
		African-American Fraternities Open Houses on Fraternity Row
		U.Va. Named as College of Choice for Minority High School Students
		U.Va. Has Highest Percentage of Diverse Faculty Among Top-Tier Institutions
		University Appoints African-American CEO for Medical Center
		U.Va. Wins Nobel Peace Prize for Community Efforts

Looking at the structures and attitudes that hinder achieving diversity, the participants placed apathy high on the list. No one is against diversity, but no one is pushing for it, they said. Participants urged the University to set clearly defined diversity goals so that it can measure progress. It’s more than a matter of numbers, they emphasized. The University must recruit superb candidates that reflect the University’s commitment to diversity, who can provide leadership in the community. The aging of the University’s faculty and administration, which will lead to many retirements, provides an opportunity to change the complexion and characteristics of the institution.

Recommendations for future action included

		Broadcast a clear statement from the president — in the Faculty Senate and in the media — on the importance of diversity and what diversity means
		Train managers and hold them accountable for creating an environment that supports diversity
		Provide diversity training — including opportunities to experience discrimination — for all employees of the University
		Blend diversity training and inclusiveness into the University’s curriculum
		Add a required course that focuses on diversity on a personal level
		Establish an office devoted to finding jobs for spouses of University faculty and administrators
		Express a commitment to cultural change at every level of the organization
		Change the architecture of the University — to some, red brick and white columns stand as symbols of the old order
		Establish a buddy system that provides opportunities for regular racial interaction among faculty and staff, both professionally and socially
		Be able to make effective counteroffers to minority faculty who are recruited by other institutions
		Provide subsidies for childcare
		Provide tuition benefits for faculty and staff
		Take action that mirrors our rhetoric — live up to the ideals we express

When will we have achieved diversity? When will we have met our goals? As one participant put it, the pursuit of diversity is a journey that moves in new directions and never ends.