The participation of minority groups in medical education is reported. Focus is on the health status and needs of minorities, student recruitment and affirmative action programs, and rising educational costs. The future of minority group participation and the support needed from schools, foundations, and government are discussed. (JMD)

Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers that relate to nontraditional education and special programs are summarized. The names and addresses of conference participants are included. (SF)

Describes initiatives developed in Connecticut to increase minority participation in higher education, including the Minority Enrollment Incentive Program, Urban Marketing Initiative, Greater Hartford Community College's Hispanic Family Support and Pre-Nursing programs, Norwalk Community College's English as a Second Language program, high school…

Provides an annotated bibliography of ERIC documents and journal articles on community college efforts to enhance minority participation and success, focusing on access, recruitment, retention, transfer, leadership, and revitalization efforts. (DMM)

An economist discusses whether strategic use of student financial aid to achieve sound fiscal goals in higher education is at odds with the competing goal of equity. Overemphasis on efficiency will cause higher education to lose sight of its mission; while it should not shy away from rational consideration of expenses and revenues, it should…

Race-conscious affirmative action in higher education survived a close challenge in 2003 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race was a valid academic admission criteria in the "Grutter v. Bollinger" case. Two years later, a number of "pipeline" programs to help under-represented minorities gain admission to and complete graduate school have…

This paper reviews critical court cases regarding affirmative action and offers guidelines to institutions of higher education evaluating and developing their affirmative action programs in the context of continuing changes in this aspect of law. It discusses the following aspects of affirmative action: what affirmative action is and the need for…

By examining the effects of financial aid upon students' choice of what type of institution of higher education to attend, this study addressed the effectiveness of current student financial aid programs in achieving the goal of equal educational opportunity. The study evaluated a sample of 1,916 students in the first follow-up (1992) of the…

In May 1986, the Illinois Board of Higher Education adopted procedures and requirements for addressing the underrepresentation of minorities, females, and the handicapped in public higher education. The university governing boards and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) have since been required to periodically report and assess their…

Chicanos are underrepresented in U.S. institutions of higher education. Attrition and completion rates indicate that a significant number of Chicanos who do choose to enroll in institutions fail to complete their degrees at each successively higher level, and are subject to high dropout rates. The percentage of Chicano students completing the…

Details the great flexibility of linguistic and residential combinations comprising the Chinese system of affirmative action for educating the Mongolian national minority. Notes tactical detail similarities, such as compensatory language training, with Canadian programs. Emphasizes the coherence of China's nationality policy. (NEC)

Race-conscious affirmative action programs in higher education are subject to strict scrutiny, which is the highest standard of review used by the courts to evaluate a policy's constitutionality. The courts employ a two-part test, examining whether the policy serves a compelling governmental interest (the underlying goal of the policy must be…

Reviews a variety of issues in brief reports related to blacks and higher education, including those of equal access to higher education and equal education, black college faculty diversity and hiring, rankings of black colleges, college entrance examination scores for minorities, black graduation rates, and affirmative action for school…

Leading Latino American educational and advocacy groups support college and university scholarship programs that target specific non-white groups, despite a federal court decision, Podberesky v Kirwin, that one such University of Maryland program was racially discriminatory. Most feel dismantling the scholarship programs would limit minority…

While the climate for students of color at public institutions in states where affirmative action has been curtailed is chilly, some neighboring private institutions are exploiting the opportunity to gain in diversity. Some fear the anti-affirmative action trend will soon begin to affect even private institutions. (MSE)