The recruitment efforts alone are not enough, says Heather Wathington of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. There must be campus programs and activities targeted to minorities.
To help create a larger social circle, the schools have formed the Western Carolina Mountain Leadership Networking Program, which begins in January.
Western Carolina's director of multicultural affairs, Dwaun Warmack, said the three schools will offer a weekend social event on a rotating monthly basis; the function will be tailored to minority students.
But the Association of American Colleges and Universities said the colleges could do a better job at recruiting Black faculty members — the national average is 4 percent.
"You don't do it just with the students," says Caryn McTighe Musill, a spokeswoman with the association. "You do it with curriculum and programs. You make it clear that part of what you value is diversity. And that includes the type of leadership you provide."
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