Learning the FACTS in New York City: Future Administrators Cultural Training

Abstract

This article presents and assesses a unique cocurricular training program for student personnel graduate students preparing to enter into higher education administration. The FACTS (Future Administrators Cultural Training Seminars) program is run by the staff at the multicultural affairs office at a large, selective, private, urban university in New York City. Responding to requests from primarily white female graduate students for more exposure to diversity and multicultural issues, the program was designed to supplement the students’ classroom learning with practical insights into the nuances of working with diverse student populations. A detailed assessment of the first two years of the program is presented.