CU is receiving a poor grade on its diversity test.
In a recent U.S. News and World Report study that ranked the racial diversity of national universities on a scale of 0.0 to 1.0, with 1.0 being the most diverse, CU received a diversity index of 0.27, and took its place as the 189th most diverse school on the study.
According to CU’s website, CU’s fall 2009 undergraduate enrollment included a 15 percent minority population with Asian American students making up six percent, African American students making up 2 percent, Latino students making up 6 percent and American Indian students making up 1 percent.
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement Alphonse Keasley said the fact that many Colorado universities ranked low is a telling sign.
“This is a state that some scholars refer to as having a moderate-sized ethnicity community,” Keasley said. “When you look at the largest minority group in the state, it is Latinos, and we’re still looking at ways to recruit them into the university.”
Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey in Newark, received the highest ranking with a diversity index of 0.74, and Yeshiva University in New York City took the bottom spot with a ranking of 0.02.
According to the study, the researchers gathered their data by studying each university’s’ 2009-2010 school year student body.
The racial categories used were American Indians and Native Alaskans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, African Americans who are non-Hispanic, whites who are non-Hispanic and Hispanics.
Although CU’s undergraduate headcount enrollment increased from a total of 3,167 minority students in 2002, to 3,832 students in 2009, the percentage of minority students, compared to the total class enrollment, only increased from 14 percent in 2002 to 15 percent in 2009.
University of Denver was ranked on the list with its diversity index of 0.33. The Colorado School of Mines in Golden was ranked one spot above CU-Boulder and had the same diversity index of 0.27. Colorado State University was ranked on the list with an index of 0.25.
Keasley said the school’s diversity index might not be higher on the list because the state requires the school to enroll a majority of in-state students.
“Because we are a state school, the majority of the students at the university have to be from the state,” Keasley said. “It has to be around 55 percent or higher by state law.”
Ryan Snyder, a 20-year-old junior marketing major, said he is not surprised the study ranked CU’s diversity index low.
“I’m not surprised,” Snyder said. “I just don’t see a lot of black or Asian people around. It just seems like it’s more wealthier white people.”
Elleni Cladis, a 21-year-old senior news-editorial major, said she is not shocked either and that diversity on campus is beneficial.
“Diversity makes life interesting,” Cladis said. “To have so many different people and thoughts and ideas, it would be great if we had more.”
Keasley said the CU Leadership, Excellence, Achievement and Diversity Alliance is one of the ways CU encourages diversity.
According to CU’s website, the CU-Lead Alliance “is a unique set of academic learning communities whose students, faculty and staff are united to promote inclusive excellence.” The learning communities are referred to as “academic communities,” and they promote student success in many ways, including enhanced instruction, small group classes, leadership activities and more.
Keasley also said that improving campus diversity is one of the core initiatives of CU’s Flagship 2030 plan.
According to the plan, by 2030, CU-Boulder will be expected to be a “model for the nation in applying best practices in support of diversity and inclusive excellence.”
Among other goals, the Flagship 2030 plan will try and enhance recruitment of minority graduate students and address the needs of international students who are attending the university.
According to the Flagship website, the plan states that “by working together, both on and off campus, we intend to refocus and improve our strategies in order to build a more inclusive university community.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jon Tattum at Jonathan.tattum@colorado.edu.
