Grading the States on Their Progress in Achieving Racial Diversity at Their Flagship Universities

A new report from the Educational Trust, a non-profit Washington-based educational think tank, finds that blacks and other minority students are not faring well at the flagship state universities. Blacks, Latinos, and American Indians make up 24 percent of all college students nationwide, but they constitute only 12 percent of the first-year enrollments at the nation’s 50 flagship state universities. For those black students who enroll at these institutions, about 58 percent go on to earn their diplomas within six years. For whites at these universities, the graduation rate is 69 percent.

The report examined six criteria such as minority enrollment compared to the percentage of minority high school graduates in the state and the minority college graduation rate compared to the white rate. The report developed a final grade for all 50 flagship state universities. Not one university received a grade of A. Seven received grades of F. They are the University of Arkansas, the University of Arizona, the University of Illinois, the University of Mississippi, the University of North Dakota, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Rhode Island.

Copyright © 2006. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.