Memorable messages matter: diversity, inclusion, and institutional success for faculty and students of color in the United States

ABSTRACT As institutions of higher education aim to support diverse campus communities, a sense of urgency has developed to better understand the predictors of success for faculty and students of color. Amongst the growing body of literature about the needs and challenges of faculty and students of color in higher education, one finding is unequivocal: messages matter and matter far beyond the initial utterance. In addition to discussing the difficulties that both faculty and students of color experience in the context of U.S. higher education, this paper explores how memorable messages research from a variety of conceptual and theoretical standpoints can be used to better understand the role of communication in shaping student and faculty success.