"To train leaders of the 21st century, we must remain committed to the unshakable proposition that diversity is essential for a quality education," Young told an audience of students, faculty, elected officials and religious leaders.
However, a new report from an Academic Senate committee found the number of minority students at the U., with the exception of American Indians, is falling.
The American-Indian student population held steady at 0.7 in 2004-2005 compared with a year earlier, but the number of Asian/Pacific Islander students decreased from 4.1 percent to 3.7 percent; Latinos from 3.6 percent to 3.3 percent; and blacks from 0.7 to 0.5 percent.
In 2004-2005, there were 2,340 minority students, or 8.1 percent, among the U.'s total 29,000 student population, compared with 8.9 percent a year earlier.
The report didn't seek to explain the dip in minority students' enrollment, said Robert Flores, president of the U. Academic Senate. Rather, it's a "building block" in a long process, he said.
Next year, the committee will try to determine why enrollments are declining and what can be done about it, he said.
Flores, a law professor, hopes the report, nonetheless, will prompt administrators to be more "creative and work harder and smarter" to increase ethnic and gender diversity.
"It's an important, complex and difficult issue," added Edward Trujillo, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering who led the committee. "In order to solve it, we need to promote further discussions and see if what we are doing is having an effect on the overall goals of the university." Minority students and their adviser say they were neither consulted nor made aware of the report.
"We do not feel enough is being done to make sure we are admitted [to the U.] and stay until we earn a degree," said Deisy Ramirez, Hispanic Student Association president. "It's already sad to be the only one of color in your classes. . . . Now, it's getting worse."
Richard Diaz said he isn't sure what students like himself can do to reverse the trend. Latino, American Indian, Pacific Islander and African-American students already visit high schools in the valley to talk to their peers about academic preparation for college.
"We think we are making progress . . . but it's like one step forward and two backward," said Diaz, a junior majoring in social justice and education.
Rich Garcia, U. ethnic student adviser, wishes the Academic Senate would address the issue more quickly.
He noted that in 1977, Latinos made up 3.2 percent of Utah's population and represented 1.7 percent of U. students.
Now, 28 years later, Utah's Latino population is nearly 13 percent in the greater Salt Lake Valley and about 11 percent statewide, yet only 3.3 percent of U. students are Latino.
"The disparity has grown. We are not keeping up proportionally with the population," Garcia said.
He said one reason for the disparity is that in the 1970s, the U. didn't have the admission requirements it has today. Now a student admitted to the U. must score at least 18 on the ACT test and have at least a 2.6 grade-point average. Many minority students have trouble on standardized tests that he says are geared toward middle class white Americans.
"We can show that students of color can come to the [U.] and do well, regardless of what they got on the ACT test," Garcia said. "They are able to show learning skills, rather than test-taking skills."
sykes@sltrib.com
U. diversity report
l Enrollment of first-year white students is up by 1,800 students.
l Minority retention and graduation rates (except for Asians) remain lower than their white counterparts.
l The number of tenure-track faculty has increased for all ethnic groups except American Indians.
l Women are well-represented on the faculty except in science and engineering colleges.
