About 430 of those new freshmen are Black or 10.3 percent of the class, compared to 321 students or 9 percent last year. The Black percentage in 2003 was 7.4 percent.
``It is a real increase in head count and percentages, and it has been trending upwards every year since 1999,'' Bayer said.
There also are about 138 Asians and 78 Hispanics in this year's freshman class.
Lottery-funded HOPE scholarships are playing a role. But a 2001 consent decree in Rita Sanders Geier's 1968 lawsuit, which accused the state of perpetuating a dual system of higher education for Blacks and Whites, may be doing more for minorities.
Under that accord, which comes up for review in 2006, the state was required to spend $75 million over 10 years to make amends.
While much has gone to historically Black Tennessee State University in Nashville, UT has used its "Geier money'' to put recruiting offices in Memphis and Nashville, provide special scholarships and services to Black students and augment salaries to attract Black faculty and administrators.
``The concern that we have is that the support that the Geier consent decree mandated from the state has driven a lot of the progress that we have made,'' said Theotis Robinson, vice president for equity and one of UT's highest ranking Black administrators.
"You know what that tells me?'' said Nashville attorney George Barrett, who brought the Geier lawsuit. ``It tells me they are not ready to fly on their own, not ready to leave the nest.''
— Associated Press
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
