Intellectual Entrepreneurship: Successfully Engaging Hearts, Minds in Graduate Education
By Dr. Richard A. Cherwitz and Susan Alvarado Boyd

Following the Supreme Court's recent ruling on affirmative action in admissions to graduate and professional programs, many institutions are contemplating how, if at all, to use race and ethnicity in making admissions decisions. The court's ruling notwithstanding, a nagging question lingers: Can race-conscious admissions policies actually enhance diversity? Traditional approaches to recruitment have not produced a proportionately significant number of minority graduate students. Therefore, why should we assume that tweaking the admissions system and expanding financial aid will substantially increase the number of minority graduate students? The reality is that many minority undergraduates don't think about opportunities made possible by graduate study; yet, knowledge of opportunities precedes the impetus to take advantage of the application process.

Unfortunately, the current institution-based recruitment model does little to enable minorities to acquire sufficient and relevant insight into graduate education. To achieve greater diversity, we must increase awareness of the value of graduate education and devise experiences allowing minority undergraduates to explore how advanced study can engage their hearts and minds — helping them fulfill their professional visions and ethical commitments. Recruiting a critical mass of outstanding Hispanic and African American students requires a change in mindset.

The Intellectual Entrepreneurship (IE) program at the University of Texas-Austin is an example of this new mindset. IE is a program and philosophy of graduate education that promotes the virtues of discovery, ownership and accountability. It challenges students to be greater than the sum of their disciplinary parts — to be "citizen-scholars" contributing both to academe and the community. By demystifying graduate education and enabling students in traditional areas of study to put their knowledge to work in the community, it is not surprising that IE has attracted a disproportionate number of minority students; 20 percent of those enrolled in IE are underrepresented minorities, while the same group comprises only 9 percent of the total graduate student body.