Blacks Pushed Down Into Second- and Third-Tier Educational Institutions in Connecticut

Blacks are about 10 percent of the population in the state of Connecticut. Yet new data from the state’s higher educational systems shows that blacks make up 5.7 percent of the student body at the flagship campus of the University of Connecticut at Storrs. African Americans make up 8 percent at the other campuses of the state university system, but nearly 16 percent of the state’s community and technical colleges.

University officials are of the opinion that black students might prefer urban community colleges over the rural Storrs campus. Also, university officials admit that higher costs at the Storrs campus have a dampening effect on black enrollments.

Copyright © 2008. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.