Racial and ethnic minority student population increased significantly at UT in the last 15 years, mirroring national trends in higher education enrollment revealed in a report released Wednesday.
The report published by the U.S. Department of Education, "Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Minorities," studied the composition of racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. educational system from preprimary to postsecondary levels. Racial and ethnic minorities were split into five categories: white, black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native.
Total minority enrollment in undergraduate schools increased from 21 percent in 1990 to
33 percent in 2004, while enrollment in graduate schools grew from
11 percent to 25 percent, the report said.
Though the amount of growth of minority populations was roughly the same for the US and UT from 1990 to 2006, UT had higher percentages of minority students, according to data from the Office of Information Management and Analysis.
The non-white student undergraduate population at UT grew 15 percent from 1990 to 2006, while the U.S. population in that same time period grew
12 percent growth.
UT's report showed the American Indian population grew by 0.3 percent, and the Hispanic population by
2.6 percent. The biggest increase was within the Asian-American population which grew by
9.5 percent. Although the minority population as a whole has increased, the African-American population decreased overall by 0.2 percent, despite a slight increase in the mid-1990s.
Brenda Burt, director of the Multicultural Information Center, said UT is doing enough to recruit ethnic and racial minorities. She cited the University Outreach Centers, which aim to help middle school and high school students reach university-level education.
Some believe, however, the University's efforts fall short.
Government senior Pedro Roldan, co-director of operations for the Latino Leadership Council, said that the University is not doing enough to recruit ethnic and racial minorities.
"[UT needs] to build coalitions with organizations in the community that already have a direct impact with the students being targeted," Roldan said.
He added that some of the students who come from communities where they are not part of a minority may have difficulty adjusting to college life and need programs to help them succeed.
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