On March 29, 2011 Roosevelt House co-sponsored a panel discussion entitled “More Than Just a Numbers Game: Asian Americans and Racial Diversity in the Ivory Tower” with the Asian American Studies Program at Hunter College.

U.S. Colleges and Universities have experienced rapid growth in Asian American student enrollment over the last four decades, paralleling growth in the general Asian American population following immigration reform in 1965. In the 1980s and 90s, increased Asian American enrollment at elite institutions was hailed within a discourse of celebrating diversity. At the same time, the increase in Asian American college students also drew fears of an ‘Asian Invasion.’ Speakers at this event considered the cultural, demographic and policy implications of increasing Asian American enrollment in higher education.

Dr. Oliver Wang is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. He specializes in race, ethnicity and popular culture, especially popular music. He is considered a leading expert on Asian Americans in pop culture, especially the Asian American involvement in hip-hop culture.

Dr. Oiyan Poon is a Research Associate at the UMass Boston Institute for Asian American Studies. Her research critically examines racial inequalities and public policy with a focus on how Asian American communities become civically engaged to affect social change. She has been involved with national debates over educational access, racial equity, and Asian Americans over the last ten years. Most recently, she published two articles presenting analysis of the recently approved changes to the University of California’s Undergraduate Admissions eligibility policy.