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Ridgewater’s enrollment of new ‘underrepresented’ students increases 14.3 percent
Submitted by news17 on November 19, 2009 - 12:18am.
Enrollment of new students from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education increased by 14.9 percent Ridgewater College’s campuses in Hutchinson and Willmar, according to a new report.
Overall, the number of underrepresented students — defined as students of color, low-income students and students whose parents did not attend college — increased by 22 percent this fall at the 32 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
The state colleges and universities system enrolled 7,300 new underrepresented students. In addition, 8,000 more underrepresented students returned to the system’s institutions this fall, a 15 percent increase over a year ago. The total number of underrepresented students this fall is 94,302, an increase of 18 percent.
“These increases are important for the state of Minnesota,” said Chancellor James H. McCormick. “The numbers show we have made substantial progress in recruiting and retaining more underrepresented students, although the economy also played a role in the increase.”
To help the state’s employers maintain their competitive edge in the global marketplace, Minnesota needs more students from these groups to complete postsecondary programs as aging baby boomers retire and the state’s population grows more diverse, McCormick said. The system produces 33,500 graduates each year. Eighty percent of them stay in Minnesota to work or continue their education.
Though the state colleges and universities have been working to improve recruitment and retention of underrepresented students for years, a system initiative called “Access, Opportunity and Success” began in the fall of 2007. The Board of Trustees allocated $11 million a year for the initiative.
The system provided funds to every college and university to expand programs and services that have proven to be effective.
