Factors affecting the success of affirmative action include affirmative action laws, the vigor of enforcement efforts at the Federal and State levels, the commitment of the current faculty to the goals of affirmative action, the presence of a critical mass of minority or female faculty members and administrators at a university, the resources available, the presence of an active "antipolitically correct" group of faculty members, and the culture of the town in which the university is located. Similarly, complex factors affect the experience of a new female or minority person on the faculty. Factors affecting for affirmative action success in criminology as a field of study include the race and gender composition of faculty and student populations, publication in major journals, and the efforts of new young scholars in doctoral programs. Finally, the fears that affirmative action will lower standards will recede if current faculty members become convinced that excellence cannot exist without diversity. 18 references