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Chang-Lin Tien, chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, has elaborated one version of the diversity argument. He cites ethical, educational, and economic reasons for colleges and universities to diversify their student bodies and faculties.

There is another, equally important facet to the merits of diversity in higher education. Women and minorities stimulate new directions and advances in research. People of diverse backgrounds tend to shape different questions and apply different methods to find the answers.

Already examples are numerous. In legal education, the addition of women scholars opened the field of feminist jurisprudence, which uses new methodologies and new perspectives in shaping answers. Another new area of legal scholarship is critical race theory. . . .

Women's studies brings a new perspective to economics, agriculture, sociology, and anthropology. The synergy of women and ethnic minorities in traditional disciplines has breathed new vitality into the social sciences and humanities as well. Research and instruction in literature, art, and history no longer stick to interpretations of novels and individual historical events. Instead, more scholars delve into the historical context of literature and the arts. In the study of history, the popular culture is considered an important element, as well as the stories of everyday people.

Reference: From Chang-Lin Tien, "Diversity and Excellence in Higher Education," in Debating Affirmative Action edited by Nicolaus Mills, p. 240-241.