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ties and the ministry for urban affairs, with the goal of expanding it into a national program. There were 19 students in the first class. By 2011, 100 schools in the Con- férence des Grandes Écoles had put similar programs in place, and today these types of programs col- lectively reach more than 40,000 high school students. ESSEC relies on several initia- tives to put PQPM in practice. These include tutoring programs in high schools and junior highs, which ESSEC students partici- pate in; PHARES, a program for handicapped students, both in and outside of PQPM; and POLLEN, a program that provides academic and professional support to high school students through work- shops, debates, group projects, and orientation forums. Ambitious and motivated stu- dents join the PQPM program when they're 15. At that time, only 5 percent to 10 percent say they want to achieve a master- level degree. By the time they're 18—graduating from high school and entering college—90 percent of PQPM students express an intention to complete studies at the master's level. Because it takes eight to nine years for students to finish high school and col- lege before going on to advanced degrees, it's too soon to know how many of them actually will pursue their master's degrees, but all signs are encouraging. Developing this program was very important for ESSEC to achieve its mission to be open to students from every kind of back- ground. If administrators at other schools want to improve diver- sity on their campuses, I would encourage them to first consider what kind of diversity they want to promote. If their schools are located in countries where there is tension between urban and rural areas, the key question might be how to educate the children of farmers. Elsewhere, they might be wrestling with the question of how their society can keep up with the influx of older citizens. Societal urgency varies from one country to another, and the framework of diversity might change depending on a school's geography. Next, I would urge the admin- istration to gather an academic team and give its members the freedom to invent a program without any constraints. Let them think outside the box. At ESSEC, we put together a team of academ- ics and a few senior staff members and asked them to imagine some- thing that would be completely original but still very operational. That's how they came up with the idea of "Pourquoi pas moi?" under the leadership of professor Thierry Sibieude. Diversity programs are so important because every estab- lished institution—whether a school or a government—will be affected by the risks that arise when we fail to address social issues. I think every responsible company in the world must make the pursuit of diversity a priority; it is one of the most serious issues businesses are dealing with today. That means every responsible school must consider the same issue as well. Pierre Tapie is dean and president of ESSEC Business School in Paris and Singapore. Rich Heritage, Bright Future BY DOUGLAS M. BROWN Diversity defines the state of New Mexico. The blend of Native Americans, Hispanics, and Anglos extends back centuries and has been augmented more recently by smaller cohorts of African Ameri- cans, Asians, and Pacific Islanders. Some historical context is necessary to explain why the University of New Mexico embraces and cher- ishes the multicultural heritage that makes our state so rich. More than a thousand years ago, when the Anasazi civilization was at its peak, the population of our state is estimated to have been as great as it is today. That civiliza- tion declined under drought condi- tions, but Native Americans still represent 9.4 percent of New Mex- ico's population. Their 20 pueblos and the holdings of the Navajo Nation still occupy a substantial portion of the state's land. In 1540, Coronado led one of the earliest Spanish forays into New Mexico, and subsequent expeditions led to Spanish coloni- zation in the area. Even though the united pueblos drove the Spaniards out in 1680, the Duke of Albur- querque reclaimed the territory for Spain in 1706. Today, it is believed that the average Hispanic family here has deeper local roots than the average Anglo one. Visitors from Spain are astonished to visit isolated villages in northern New BizEd January/February 2012 23