A recent survey completed by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education ranked the University, along with Columbia University, first among the nation's top universities for enrolling the highest percentage of black students in the Class of 2011.
The report surveyed the colleges and universities that top the rankings produced by U.S. News & World Report. According to the survey, black students comprise 11.4 percent of the University's first-year class. This places the University ahead of 27 other universities that were considered.
According to the JBHE report, there are 360 black students in the current first-year class at the University, 100 more than there were in Fall 2006, which marks a 38.5-percent increase.
In the first five years the survey was conducted, the University was consistently ranked first for having the highest percent of black students enrolled in the freshman class.
After that point, the numbers declined until 2005, when black students comprised 10.5 percent of the University's first-year class, enough to bring it to second place. Since 2005 the number of black students enrolled in the first-year class has continued to increase.
Dean of Admission John Blackburn attributed the University's ranking to multiple factors.
"It all has to do with how students choose their colleges," Blackburn said.
The atmosphere, academic opportunities and personality of the student body can influence prospective students' decisions, Blackburn said, adding that campus visits can also help attract students. It is especially helpful for black prospective students to see the many ways that black students at the University are engaged and involved, he added.
Bill Harvey, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity at the University, cited the high graduation rate of black students and academic reputation as factors that foster "a more welcoming environment" at the University.
Harvey credited the University's dedicated team of admission counselors with the increase in black enrollment in the first-year class.
"What we are seeing is a reflection of the highest levels of the administration," Harvey said, noting many policies have been enacted by President John T. Casteen, III and the Board of Visitors in order to create a more welcoming environment at the University.
By having a more diverse student body, the administration hopes that black students will "recognize the opportunity to use all their gifts and talents" at the University, Harvey said. He views the increasing enrollment of black students as a positive step toward the future of the University.
"The University is anxious to celebrate its diversity," he said.
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