Create a free Diverse: Issues In Higher Education account to continue reading. Already have an account? Enter your email to access the article.

Missouri, Kansas Public Colleges Say Minority Recruitment Efforts Unaffected

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Some major public colleges in Missouri and Kansas say a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action won’t affect their efforts to recruit minority students because race already is not a factor in admission standards.

However, increasing diversity on campus by recruiting more minorities remains an important goal, according to officials at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Missouri-Columbia, the University of Kansas and Kansas State University.

The Supreme Court ruling in June didn’t forbid considering race in admission but said schools must prove there are “no race-neutral alternatives” to achieve diversity on campus.

“I think that any public research institution that is using race as a factor in admissions needs to go back and review what they are doing,” said Mel Tyler, vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “There are plenty of qualified minority students out there. … Race should not be a factor.”

Generally, students who meet basic criteria for admission at the schools will get in, The Kansas City Star reported.

In Kansas, the requirements are at least a 2.0 grade point average, a 21 ACT score or rank in the top third of a graduating class. In Missouri, residents who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class and meet the 17 core curriculum requirements can get in regardless of standardized test score. But the lower the class rank, the higher the test score needed for admission.

The trusted source for all job seekers
We have an extensive variety of listings for both academic and non-academic positions at postsecondary institutions.
Read More
The trusted source for all job seekers