The Nation : Black Male College Enrollment Declines

The number of black males enrolled in U.S. colleges declined over the last decade even as minority enrollment in general was rising by 8%, a study said. Black males also earned the fewest degrees and made the least progress in number of faculty positions held, the American Council on Education said in its seventh annual report on Minorities in Higher Education. The council, reviewing Department of Education statistics, found that black males represented 4.3% of college enrollment in 1976, but their share had dropped to 3.5% by 1986. During the same period, total college enrollment grew from 11 million to 12.5 million, but black male enrollment fell from 470,000 to 436,000. Black women held a steady share throughout the period, starting at 5.1% and ending at 5.2%.