Perspectives Winter/Spring 2019

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 21 Many universities around the country have pushed for their specific institutions or programs to increase the number of minority students. The reason? To become more diverse in hopes of reducing the stereotypes that may have been held by students, and to open a range of viewpoints they wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise. Universities have argued that it was in the state’s best interest to use racial affirmative action to build a critical mass of minority students—and to allow those students to have a positive campus experience and not feel isolated. In turn, some of these more diverse graduates would take the knowledge they gained back to the community, and, in many cases, supply much-needed care to those in underserved areas of the country. When specific universities or governments mandat- ed diversity, it was met with mixed results. Specifically, in the most high-profile case of Gratz vs. Bollinger, the University of Michigan would add points to an undergraduate’s application just for being a minority. The case eventually went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 6-3 vote, the court ruled that the admissions policy was unconstitutional, because it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI. In another high-profile case, the University of Michigan Law School was adding points to a minority student’s application, and this, too, was challenged and taken to the Supreme Court. The NSU anesthesiologist assistant (AA) programs have always supported diversity in our programs and our profession. In fact, NSU’s AA programs in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa Bay have the highest minority students’ acceptance and graduation percentages in the country, when compared to the other 12 AA programs. According to NSU’s admissions office, the percent- age of minority students accepted to the AA programs is roughly 40 percent annually. These students were not considered for acceptance based on race, but on their merits and skills. Each student has proven to be a tremendous asset to our programs and profession. Graduates have gone on to hold committee positions within our national organization and high-ranking leadership roles within the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants. Additionally, NSU graduates have a nearly 100 percent pass rate on the National Com- mission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assis- tants Board Exam and 100 percent job placement. NSU supports diversity in its programs and promotes it from within as well. Evidence of this occurred in 2012 when Llalando Austin II, Ed.D., RRT, CAA, was promoted to program director for the Tampa Bay Regional Campus, followed shortly afterward by Jermaine Leclerc, M.H.Sc., CAA, assis- tant professor at the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus. It may seem like a normal process for faculty members to be promoted, but these moves were significant because Austin became the first minority program director in the country, again followed by Leclerc. The AA profession has been around for 40-plus years, but NSU’s AA programs still have the only minority program directors in the United States. It’s clear that NSU’s AA programs are exceeding expectations when it comes to diversity, and the diverse classes of students are surpassing the competi- tion in job placement, board exam pass rates, Ameri- can Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistant participa- tion, and state component participation. Many universities are forcing programs to meet specific admissions numbers, but NSU’s AA programs are exceeding those numbers, and the success of our students speaks for itself. Our students and faculty members get to be a part of diversity at work. We are proud to be part of an effort that leads the country in every measurable category. All our students—no matter race, creed, culture, or religion—are in our program because the members of our admissions committee, faculty, and staff believe in them. We know they are outstanding individuals who will one day become excellent anesthesia providers and representatives of our profession, and NSU, at the highest level. † Nathan Weirich is an associate professor in the Anesthesiologist Assistant—Tampa Bay Program. NSU Anesthesiology Diversity Programs Lead the Nation BY NATHAN WEIRICH, M.H.SC. , CAA