At UC, Proving the Critics Wrong

Is diversity dead at the University of California? Hardly.

With the UC Board of Regents’ adoption of an admissions policy free of racial preferences and the voters’ subsequent passage of Proposition 209, predictions abounded of the “resegregation” of California higher education. Critics warned of a “chilling effect,” saying that young people from various racial and ethnic groups once interested in attending UC would turn away in droves.

Fortunately, the reverse is true. Applications to UC campuses from California high school seniors for next fall are up significantly--most notably among minority groups.

Almost 59,000 high school seniors applied to UC for admission next year, an 8% increase from last year and the largest one-year increase in the past 10 years. Applications from students who identify themselves as Chicano or Mexican American rose 10.1%, with applications from American Indians increasing by 9.3%, African Americans 3.1% and Filipino Americans 0.5%.

The hope now is that these applicants are qualified to attend UC and that, if admitted, they decide to enroll. The very fact that they applied in such numbers underscores my conviction that there are more ways than one to work toward achieving a student population that encompasses California’s vibrant ethnic and cultural makeup.

One way is to reach out and encourage students to apply. At UC, campuses did this in advance of last November’s application period more vigorously than ever. In addition, President Richard C. Atkinson sent personal letters to 13,000 academically promising students from under-served areas, urging them to apply to more than one UC campus to increase their potential for admission.

The more fundamental, long-term solution must be rooted in efforts to improve the academic preparedness of students from disadvantaged circumstances, beginning as early as elementary school and to encourage these young people throughout their schooling to move on to higher education.

That is the goal of UC’s new outreach initiative, the most ambitious and comprehensive program of its kind in the state’s history. Its core element calls for building partnerships among UC campuses and area schools--lasting and effective partnerships that will inform students of the value of higher education, provide them with high-quality instruction in required courses and motivate them to succeed.

A number of promising partnerships are under way. UC Irvine is sponsoring Saturday math classes for students at Willard Intermediate School in Santa Ana. The Davis campus is collaborating with regional school districts, community colleges and Cal State Sacramento in college-preparatory programs. UC Berkeley is intensifying its Berkeley Pledge program, an effort recently cited by President Clinton as a model for the nation.

Other, more established programs will complement the new initiative. MESA--Math, Engineering and Science Achievement--works with students from elementary school age through community college, combining class work, parental support, counseling and hands-on experience through field trips and summer jobs. It has produced students whose grade-point averages, SAT scores, university-admission rates and graduation rates far exceed the norms for disadvantaged young people.

There are no easy answers or quick-fix solutions, and certainly UC can’t do it alone. We must work closely with schools, teachers, parents and community groups. Faculty, staff, students and alumni must contribute their energy and ideas. And, of course, more funding for expanded academic outreach must come from the state and the federal governments and the private sector if our society is to benefit from a diverse and educated work force prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

California is truly in a post-affirmative action era It’s time to move beyond the fear-mongering and the friction, time to work together toward common goals.