A new study of state flagship universities says that while the University of Texas has increased minority and low-income student enrollment, it still has a long way to go to reflect the state's changing demographics. The study by The Education Trust, a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., examined the most prestigious public universities because those schools are often the wealthiest, have higher research contributions and train future state leaders. "Enrollments at flagship state universities are looking less and less like the populations they serve," said the group's spokeswoman, Stephanie Germeraad. The study measured success in enrolling minorities by looking at the makeup of Texas high school graduates in 2007 and comparing it with UT's enrollment that year. It found the school doesn't reflect the makeup but is making progress. It also found continuing gaps in six-year graduation rates between white and minority students at UT. "They fall about in the middle on our various equity measures," said Jennifer Engle, one of the report's authors. "They do fit at the top in progress." About 51 percent of the state's high school graduates were Hispanic or black in 2008, compared with just 24 percent of undergraduate UT students that year. According to UT, between 2003 and 2008 the number of undergraduate Hispanic students enrolled rose from 5,478 to 6,980. Black students enrolled went from 1,395 to 1,810. White students by far make up the largest group. But the number of whites dropped during the same years, from 23,131 to 20,478. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has placed a priority on increasing minority enrollment and tracks its progress with an annual "Closing the Gaps" report. The state has missed its goals of increasing Hispanic enrollment, however. Hispanics are almost the majority of Texas public school students. READ FULL STORY
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