Some schools even offer scholarships designated solely for minority students. But all the money and minority-friendly programs will not help if schools are not committed to, and thoroughly interested in, making the college s culture more accommodating to minorities. Not only is it important that the student population be diverse, it is equally important that minorities are represented among leadership positions. On a campus, such as Auburn University, which is committed to instruction, research, and outreach, it is equally important that the faculty be diverse. It is through instructors that students are exposed to a wide-range of insights that promote an understanding of others and to dispel prejudices and stereotypes.
College is about opening the mind.
Auburn University can boast of an Office of Minority Recruiting which defines minority students as African-American. Auburn has the only office designated solely for the recruitment of African-American students in the State. However, the University can ill afford to slow its effort. It is important that the University community realize that the experiences and thoughts of every student, regardless of race or gender, add significantly to the improvement of the campus climate and Auburn s continued success. The idea of diversity needs to evolve from simply an outside mandate to an internal and valued agent for AU to survive and succeed in the 21st century.