When Duke University (North Carolina) adopted a five-year plan in 1988 to double the proportion of black faculty, it lost almost as many as it gained. The new 10-year plan will focus on support and retention as well as hiring. The new plan has critics but more support than the last. (MSE)

Increasingly, Blacks are recognizing a need to debate civil rights and affirmative action, tolerate diversity of opinion, and acknowledge that there is no single right Black answer. Although Black scholars who oppose racial preference are still in the minority, their views are gaining currency. Some propose unusual solutions. (MSE)

Confusion over American Historical Association policy on the composition of conference sessions, as illustrated in a recent incident over a panel's membership, reflects common concern in scholarly circles over women scholars' participation and representation in discussion. At issue are quotas vs. affirmative action principles. (MSE)

Activists say colleges have a tendency to view all Asian Americans as a "model minority" succeeding without need for affirmative action. Demographic diversity of Asian Americans raises complex questions for institutions, who are unable to provide for needs of refugees, recent immigrants, and native-born Americans in two dozen ethnic…

Duke University's affirmative action plan for faculty, unveiled in the late 1980s, has had limited success. Critics blame this on a small pool of minority doctorates and in-house resistance. Success has been greatest in the history department. The school has been more successful in attracting African-American graduate students. (MSE)

A woman associate professor denied tenure by male colleagues sued and won in federal court, claiming sex discrimination in assessment of her scholarship. She is being reimbursed by the university for costs of her extensive publicity campaign. University failure to file a required affirmative-action plan was also found. (MSE)

The University of Wisconsin, in the third year of a high-profile drive to increase minority enrollments, is having difficulty reaching its goals despite realistic goals and appropriate efforts. Competition for a limited minority population among the state's private and public colleges and universities is intense, and racial tension persists. (MSE)