Lack of diversity in higher learning can be a problem for diverse student bodies

Data shows the student population on the nation's college campuses have become majority non-white, while faculty has remained about 70% white.

Some of the best colleges and universities in the U.S. are facing backlash over the extent of their commitment to classroom diversity. Several high-profile Black academics have been denied tenure at esteemed higher-learning institutions, sparking a new debate about racism and privilege in academia. This comes as data has shown that as student demographics changed to have more people of color, while the racial makeup of professors and instructors remains the same at these institutions: predominately white. After decades of teaching at schools including Yale and Princeton, activist and scholar Dr. Cornel West's name made headlines this year in a very public conflict with Harvard Divinity School. West resigned from his position at the school in June. In his resignation letter, he attributed his decision to "spiritual rot" after he was denied tenure.