WASHINGTON

To broaden the participation of graduate studies among underrepresented minorities,  graduate studies programs must go beyond simply recruiting students from diverse groups and provide students with the support and resources needed to graduate,  says a new report released by the Council of Graduate Schools.

The report titled “Broadening Participation in Graduate Education” urges the federal government and the higher education community “to cultivate talent wherever it exists, particularly among underrepresented minorities.”

The CGS report reveals that minorities continue to lag their White counterparts in graduate degree attainment. Among all U.S. citizens, underrepresented groups earned just 12 percent of the total research doctorates awarded in 2006 and only 10 percent of the research doctorates awarded in STEM fields.

Considering the changing demographics of the country, without a highly educated workforce that includes a high number of minorities holding graduate degrees, there will be a shortage of talent to replenish an aging generation of scientists, professors and innovators.

“This report addresses why our nation must develop our domestic talent pool now to prepare the next generation of leaders and experts in a wide spectrum of fields,” said Debra W. Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools, at a press briefing Thursday in Washington.

An important component to increasing the number of minority graduate students is working closely with minority-serving institutions, said Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C. “HBCUs play an invaluable role in preparing African-American students for graduate studies,” Hagan added.

The work doesn’t stop there, though, advocates say. Colleges and universities must also work harder to promote diversity and inclusivity at the faculty staff and administrator ranks, said John Slaughter, president and CEO of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, at a press briefing Thursday in Washington.