The report, titled "Investing in People: Developing All of America's Talent on Campus and in the Workplace," states that although the nation's minority population is growing, minority groups are not represented proportionally at most universities.
The Jan. 10 report was produced by the Business-Higher Education Forum, which is composed of the American Council on Education and the National Alliance of Business. The report warns that unless more money is spent on increasing minority enrollment, the United States will be faced with a work force shortfall in skills and knowledge in the future.
Janetta Hammock, assistant director of public affairs for ACE, said a lack of higher education for minorities could have social ramifications also. "We are going to have a larger minority population, and if they don't have an education to get jobs to take care of their families, that could lead to more people on welfare, which could have an impact on crime and living conditions," Hammock said.
According to the report, 90 percent of the white and black adult populations had finished high school as of 1998, but only two-thirds of the adult Hispanic population had done so. At the collegiate level only 17 percent of adult blacks and 11 percent of Hispanics held bachelor's degrees in 2000, while 28 percent of whites did.
The report states that the college-aged population will increase by 16 percent by 2015, and nonwhite students will account for 80 percent of that increase. The report predicts that by 2028 there will be 19 million more jobs than workers who can fill them.
As a result, the report asks community leaders to strengthen outreach programs that stress attending college, review policies designed to foster diversity and encourage corporate foundations to provide more support for diversity initiatives.
The report also advocates increasing the annual maximum federal Pell Grant from $3,750 to $5,800 and encourages institutions to make admissions decisions based on more than just test scores and grades.
Jerome Lucido, UNC admissions director, said the University already considers a variety of factors during the admissions process. "We look at academic indicators, including test scores and grades, as well as honors, awards, personal qualities, what the students write about themselves and what they contribute to their community."
He also said UNC is already highly diverse. "I am very proud of the record that we have of increasing cultural diversity on campus just as I am of our academic record," he said.
