Features
More students of color are enrolling at UW Colleges, and more are going on to earn a bachelor's degree.
Diversity of UW Colleges students is increasing
The diversity of UW Colleges students is on the rise, which is good news and aligns with diversity being one of the six strategic priorities for the UW Colleges and UW Extension for 2008-11.
UW Colleges campuses attract minorities
There are many ways to define diversity, but one important goal of UW Colleges is to recruit and retain students of color. Typically, each UW Colleges campus enrolls a larger percentage of students of color than the total percentage of minorities in the county area.
Students of color enrollment and retention are increasing
From fall 2007 to fall 2008, African American enrollments increased 24%, American Indian enrollments were up 39%, Hispanic/Latino enrollments grew 11%, and Southeast Asian enrollments increased 42%. Only Asian American enrollments decreased. Overall, enrollment of students of color increased 22%.
The fall 2007 cohort of new freshmen of color was the first in five years to be retained at a rate greater than that for white students. UW Colleges Provost Greg Lampe says, "We can all be proud of those accomplishments, but clearly we have work to do both on our campuses and in our communities."
One UW Colleges student's experience
For example, Antonio Thomas Jr., an African American student now in his sophomore year at UW-Richland, says he encountered some racism in the community during his freshman year. Still, Thomas would recommend UW-Richland to students who are looking for a small-campus environment.
Thomas, a Madison Memorial High School graduate, says he chose UW-Richland on the recommendation of a sports mentor. It appealed to him because he knew he wasn't ready for a large campus. At UW-Richland, Thomas says he is able to be involved with many more campus activities than he could at a larger school, including sports and the school newspaper.
Support available on all 13 campuses and UW Colleges Online
UW Colleges campuses have advisors, student organizations and other resources dedicated to multicultural students.
For more information:
Multicultural student information:
www.uwc.edu/students/multicultural
UW Colleges Student Services Offices:
www.uwc.edu/students/offices
By Howard Cosgrove, communications specialist, UW Colleges and UW-Extension