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From: The Robesonian
Date: 13 Sep 2004
Time: 20:56:55 -0400
Remote Name: 172.156.159.77
August 9, 2004 - Guest Editorial by Dr. Glen G. Burnette Jr., Vice-chancellor for University and Community Relations at UNC-Pembroke. The University of North Carolina at Pembroke was founded in 1887 to train Native American public school teachers. When it opened its doors of opportunity to all qualified applicants without regard to race in l954, UNC-Pembroke was destined to become the premier regional university it is today and a model for society. UNC-Pembroke is proud of its heritage, and we honor our founders' memory through the many national accolades we receive, including those for the diversity of our campus. Recently, US News and World Report ranked UNC-Pembroke as the most diverse campus in the South. The feature article on UNC-Pembroke in "America's Best Colleges 2005" depicts us accurately as "the future of college." If you want to see what the country will look like in 20 years, come to UNC-Pembroke. Diversity in higher education - from enrollment to employment - is very important to every university in our nation today. The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is proud to serve as a leader for diversity in our region. Minority enrollment is the highest ever at UNCP. Five years ago, there were 685 American Indian students enrolled, and today there are approximately 1,026, an increase of 49.7 percent in five years! The 2004-2005 academic year boasts a student body (approximately) comprised of white (54%), African American (22%), American Indian (20%) Hispanic (2%) and Asian (2%). More international students continue to attend UNCP each year; these students contribute greatly to the globalization of our student body. With that said, our admissions office recruits more vigorously in our local communities than anywhere else in North Carolina, and it will continue to do so. Enrollment growth over the last five years has turned the university into a powerful engine of job growth for our local communities. Employment of minorities at UNCP is another important area of concern for us, and we are proud of the growing diversity of our campus workforce. Administrative staff employment of American Indians at UNCP is up 28.7 percent n the last five years (from l64 to 211); African American administrative staff employment is up 42.8 percent (from 21 to 30). American Indian upper management employment increased 50 percent in five years; African American upper management employment increased 60 percent. Overall minority employment of UNCP's non-faculty positio9ns is up 34 percent since l999! Today there are 11 American Indian full-time and l6 part-time faculty members at UNCP, compared with 8 full-time and 7 part-time in l999. That's an overall increase of 80 percent. In l999, there were 4 full-time and 2 part-time African American faculty members at UNCP. Five years later, we now have 9 full-time and 6 part-time African American faculty members. Overall minority faculty employment at UNCP is up an incredible 114 percent since l999! The university always seeks the very best applicants to fill our faculty and staff positions. As part of our accreditation process, it is critical that our full-time doctoral faculty hold an appropriate doctoral degree and professional experience or our accreditation could be jeopardized. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to find minorities holding doctorates and experience in the various specific disciplines - chemistry, business, sociology, mathematics, etc. - required of our available positions. UNC Pembroke takes very seriously its responsibility to serve this region - especially its local communities - as an educational, cultural and economic resource. We value greatly the close partnerships the university shares with its local communities, especially those in Robeson County. Our local communities hold a high degree of ownership in our institution, and we appreciate and respect constructive ideas and suggestions on how we can receive a more diverse pool of students, faculty and staff applications. We will remain steadfast to our commitment to vigorously recruit qualified faculty and staff to offer our students the best possible environment for their educational, social, and personal growth. Our campus is and will continue to serve as a model for our educational peers, regionally and throughout our nation.