Top 10 Most Diverse Cooking Schools

In order for you to be really ready to participate in the world after graduation, you need exposure to people and cultures other than you own. Many colleges and universities have cultivated their student and staff populations to reflect the growing need for diverse populations. Diversity expands your knowledge through worldliness, enhances social development, and will better prepare you for future successes by the ability to relate to all people.

Diversity is ranked by an index, on a scale of 0 to 1, with 1 being the most diverse.

1. University of Nevada at Las Vegas

UNLV is the most diverse culinary school on the list. Pushing forward with a whopping .73 on the index, and ranks in the top ten for diverse schools in the country. UNLV’s Office of Diversity Initiative is very serious and dedicated in addressing campus and community concerns, and has worked tirelessly to provide leadership, inclusiveness and empowerment to the college and global community.

2. University of Central Florida

UCF is second on the list for culinary schools, coming in at .59 out of 1.00. The development of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion was created in 1994 to support their strategic goal of becoming more inclusive and diverse. Their motto is “Diversity includes all of us, all the time”. The UCF office is very involved in the community as well as the campus, and facilitates over 300 workshops annually.

 

3. University of Alaska at Anchorage

The University of Alaska at Anchorage established the Office of Campus Diversity and Compliance to provide unity, accessibility, leadership and accountability to its diverse population. Ranking .56, UA strives to create an inclusive respectful community that embraces individual differences.

 

 

 

4. Mississippi University for Women

The diversity programs at MUW are offered through the Office of Student Life, and bring the school in at .51 out of 1.00 on the Diversity Index. With a goal of promoting self-reflection and education, they provide a link and safe haven for minorities on campus and outreach through various events and initiatives.

 

 

 

5. Drexel University

Drexel University is within a cultural mecca in downtown Philadelphia. Ranking #95 by U.S. News for National Universities, the Diversity Index is .51 out of 1.00 possible. DU’s Office of Equality and Diversity is committed to creating a sustainable environment of diversity, fairness and inclusion on the DU campus.

 

 

 

 

6. Kennesaw State University

At the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at KSU, they pride themselves on a diverse population of students and staff, from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. With such a large off-campus population, KSU has been successful at increasing their Diversity Index to .50 through a wide variety of campus-wide efforts.

7. Culinary Institute of America

The food industry is culturally diverse and no one understands that as well as the CIA. To be a successful chef, you need to understand not only a wide variety of cuisines, but the cultures and people who develop them. So, too, must chefs learn from diverse faculty and students. The CIA ranks .46 out of 1.00 on the Diversity Index. In addition, the CIA is located in a very diverse and progressive area of Hyde Park in New York, which enable students and staff to interact, communicate and appreciate people (and foods) of all cultures, in a more global setting.

 

 

8. Central Washington University

The Center for Diversity and Social Justice at CWU examines the issues that impact the campus, community and world at large. Ranking .42 on the Diversity Index, CWU has received awards for Excellence in Diversity for 2014. In addition, more than25% of the student population is made up of minority students, and Central Washington University was also named one of only 50 LGBT friendly universities in the nation. Diversity has become part of its core values, and is incorporated steadfastly into its strategic plan and mission statement, as well as an ongoing plan for education, training and evaluation.

 

 

9. Lindenwood University

Lindenwood is a smaller, Presbyterian campus with roughly 8,500 students, located in Saint Charles, Missouri. They currently rank .41 on the Diversity Index, and have students and staff from over 100 countries and six separate continents across the globe. Policies are developed to be equal and inclusive of all, in the pursuit of higher education goals. In addition, all educational, financial, personal and employment opportunities are extended without bias or discrimination, and that all people are simply fellow human beings.

10. Livingstone College

Livingstone is a Methodist Episcopal college located Salisbury, North Carolina. They rank .17 on the Diversity Index. With aa principal mission of serving and education the African American community, the student body composition is far below not only the national average, but the average for culinary schools rankings as well. LC does not have a specific department or plan in place to address diversity in the student of faculty/staff populations.