<p>I ask this as a big Whitman fan, but one who wishes it were more diverse. The just-released numbers in the 2011-12 Fact Book (p. 16-18) make me wonder if Whitmans moving in the wrong direction, diversity-wise. Heres the link:</p>
<p>For starters, the numbers of first year minority students who matriculated in 2011 are way down from 2010 and earlier years: (2010/2011): Asian (48/29), Hispanic (29/10), African American (13/3), Native American (9/3). Whilst the number of white students went up: (282/307).</p>
<p>At first I thought this must just be a bad year for minority recruitment, till I noticed that the admissions rates at Whitman for most minority students went way down as compared to previous years, while the admission rates for whites went way up: (2010/2011): White (50.4%/61.5%); Asian (53.0%/54.1%); Hispanic (51.3%/36.3%); African American (57.4%/37.3%); Native American (66.0%/13.0%). The raw numbers of students admitted, by race/ethnicity, followed suit: (2010/2011): White (991/1209); Asian (215/139); Hispanic (116/41); African American (35/19); Native American (33/7).</p>
<p>Whitman is one of the few schools I know of that publishes admission rates by
race/ethnicity, and I applaud its transparency. At the same time, I would hope these numbers generate some discussion in the Whitman community. How do Whitmans admissions reps, while selling their diversity initiatives, respond to the question of why in one year white applicants jumped to a 61% admission rate, while blacks and Hispanics fell to around 36%? Has there been a change in policy? Are economic factors at play? Are these numbers simply wrong? Maybe someone knows. Again, Im asking this as a friend of Whitman; dont have any kids there, but I visited twice and loved what I saw.</p>
<p>Another troubling metric is that the number of minority applicants went down from 2010 to 2011, while the number of white applicants was virtually the same: (2010/2011): White (1966/1965); Asian (406/257); Hispanic (226/113); African American (61/51); Native American (50/54). Why? Less outreach? Less effective outreach? The economy? </p>
<p>Whatever the reasons, in 2011 substantially fewer minorities applied, and a substantially lower percentage of those who did apply were accepted; whereas the same number of white students applied, and a substantially higher percent of those were accepted. Not a good formula for increasing diversity.</p>
<p>The Whitman administration talks a lot about diversity, amongst themselves, to the parents, to the students, and to the perspective students. At parents weekend, President Bridges talked about the continuing efforts to increase financial aid to more students. I’m surprised by the numbers, especially since the Princeton Review put Whitman at #14 on its list of schools with the most race/class interaction. Since ethnic diversity is down, they must be talking about socioeconomic diversity, I’ve been very surprised at the number of kids that come from small rural towns.</p>
<p>The financial crisis has hit everyone hard, including Whitman. I would imagine that many more applicants are looking for financial aid and those who need the most financial aid are thinking twice about applying to private schools, especially private schools that aren’t near a major transportation hub. Whitman has just announced a fund raising drive to raise $150 million, one stated goal is to fund more need based aid. I think Whitman is always trying to think of ways to increase its diversity while also being very cognizant of staying financially healthy, that’s sort of a tightrope act.</p>
<p>Most schools are making every effort possible to increase diversity, and Whitman is certainly no exception. They sponsor visiting weekends for URM’s and have special outreach and scholarships. It was unfortunate that they had to drop their need-blind status last year, but they get kudos for being one of the very last need-blind hold outs for a private school their size. This month they placed a statement on their website saying,"Whitman College seeks to establish a vibrant community of individuals who are intellectually talented, have the potential to be leaders in and out of the classroom and are from diverse backgrounds both nationally and internationally. Recognizing that undocumented students make important contributions to the intellectual and social life of the campus, Whitman College admits and enrolls students regardless of citizenship. Whitman College uses non-governmental resources to support the academic efforts of such students who qualify for financial aid. Whitman is the first liberal arts school in the country to declare this kind of public support for undocumented students.</p>