After a 28 percent drop in black student enrollment in the freshman class prompted public outcry and a call for action, university administrators said they are devising a plan to address the disparity.
University officials called the statistic — only 9.2 percent of first-time incoming students are black — unacceptable and said though they were initially caught off-guard, efforts are being set in motion to amp up the recruitment of high-achieving minority students.
"That number has to go back up. That number has to be at least in the double digits," said Rob Waters, assistant to the president for equity and diversity. "If we have a couple incoming classes like this, we're in big trouble."
Waters said he had been in contact with undergraduate admissions officials, trying to get to the bottom of what he said might be the lowest percentage of black first-year students in decades.
Attempts to contact Director of Undergraduate Admissions Shannon Gundy for comment were unsuccessful.
"Students looking at our school are worried they can't get in, so they don't apply; they're worried more they can't afford it, so they don't apply," Waters said. "Many students might be thinking strategically — going to community college first to save some money and then transfer in."
Like many students, Waters suspected the economy was to blame.
"Lately, I've been getting more calls from parents who are in emergency situations," Waters said. "In [minority] communities, people tend to worry more. This was the worst year, financially, in decades. And all that anxiety... doesn't help."
The university already has various outreach programs targeting minority youth and local high schools with traditionally underserved populations, but Waters said more can be done.
The university is looking to stay more involved with families during the application process, he said, by following up with students who leave applications unfinished or are unsure of their decision to enroll.
These new recruitment tactics will be administered across the board, with all prospective students, but Waters said their heightened efforts will have the highest impact on students of color, especially those who come from low-income households.
"Part of it is we get more and more academically competitive every year and the economy stinks," Waters said. "The more competitive we get, the recruiting gets harder. I've talked to admissions. Part of what we're going to do is try to follow up with students who apply. Let them know we're interested in them."
In trying to navigate the path between high academic achievement and a diverse student population, Waters said it is imperative that the value of diversity is recognized and understood.
"It's not just about test scores," Waters said, adding talents, interests, geographical origin and other factors all contribute to making an individual diverse. "It's really the mix of students that make the classes interesting. You need the rowhouse kids, and you need the mansion kids."
The issue of minority representation is not a new one at this university, where a history of racial segregation has forced the university to work for decades to overcome its reputation of intolerance and become one of the nation's more diverse large public research universities. And Waters saidthey're not going to stop now.
"We don't wallow in this history, but this was a segregated institution, and we have to remember that diversity means something at this university," Waters said. "In some ways, I feel that the struggle to become diverse has made us a great institution."
Senior staff writer Marissa Lang contributed to this report.
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