LOUISVILLE, Ky.

The state has made strides in increasing access to higher education for minorities, but major work still needs to be done, according to a report commissioned by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

The 156-page report by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA says the preparation of Black and White students for college remains highly unequal.

The report recommends considering race for admission to competitive campuses like the University of Kentucky and Louisville. It also says the state should expand its definition of diversity to include Hispanics and American Indians.

The report also suggests the state focus on helping students from poor counties in eastern Kentucky regardless of race.

"It is no longer sufficient to focus only on Black students," the report states.

There are still "massive leaks" in the education system, though the schools themselves are hardly to blame, the report states.

"It is obvious that Kentucky's problems are not just problems of the campuses and that a broader commitment from state and local institutions would greatly help reach the goals," it says.

The report is part of data being collected by the council's Committee on Equal Opportunity and university presidents in creating a new diversity plan for the state. The plan will replace a 1999 agreement between the state and the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. That agreement asked the state to increase the number of Black students, faculty members and administrators at public colleges and universities.

The report also takes the state to task for funding at historically Black Kentucky State University, saying it should work with the school to create "consistent funding, a strong board of regents and a clear structure to assure progress."

Kentucky State University President Mary Evans Sias said she would like to have more money in the budget, but balked at the report's assertion that the school lacks a clear mission.