Mary Washington joins top 100 in production of minority degrees
2 min readBy SUZANNA TOSKE
The University of Mary Washington is one of the top 100 producers of degrees to minority students in the U.S.
UMW ranked eighth for Latino graduates and 24th for African American graduates with master’s degrees in management information systems and 23rd for all minority groups with master’s degrees in the management information systems category, according to the 2011-2012 preliminary ranking data from “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.”
The data collected by a professor at Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis. It is a part of a national report pertaining to U.S. college students who are awarded with associate degrees and are African American, Latino, Asian or Native American. The ranking system used an analysis of U.S. Department of Education reports submitted by institutions across the nation.
UMW also ranked in the top 100 for African American graduates with bachelor’s degrees in interdisciplinary studies.
“We were delighted to be named among the 100 top producers of minority degrees,” said Marty Morrison, UMW director of media and public relations.
Since 2007 to 2008, the UMW student population has doubled in the number of African American and Latino students attending the university.
In the 2007-2008 school year, African American and Latino students represented only 6.7 percent of the undergraduate student body. In 2012-2013, it rose to 13 percent, making the minority representation increase to 17.5 percent, from 11 percent, according to Jonathan Levin.
This progress reflects UMW’s current strategic plan: recruit, enroll and retain a high-achieving and diverse student body, Levin said.
“Achieving this kind of recognition helps get the word out and brings visibility to the university. Of course, I’d like to see more (UMW) programs appear on the top 100 list in the future,” Levin said.
