The Future of Minority Studies Research Project: A Conversation about Social Justice and the Future of American Higher Education
- James McShay (Iowa State University)
Abstract
The Future of Minority Studies Research Project (FMS) was initiated in 2000 by a consortium of scholars and academic institutions with a primary interest in minority identity, education, and social transformation. FMS is organized as a mobile think tank designed to facilitate focused and productive discussions, as well as to support scholarship attending to minority identities and social change, across disciplines. Discussions concentrate on carefully defined questions about the role of higher education in a multicultural democracy and the need for an adequate conception of minority identities as the basis for understanding and pursuing progressive social change. In this presentation, we will draw on the experience with FMS to discuss critical issues as they relate to social justice and the future of American higher education generally, as well as the future of Iowa State University specifically.