Alabama Commission Refuses Request For Black Studies Degree Program
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A state board rejected a bid last month to establish the state's first Black studies major at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The Alabama Commission on Higher Education refused to approve the school's request to offer a major in the subject. The vote was 5-4 in favor of the major, but seven votes are required for approval.
"There were concerns about enrollment and the number of graduates," says Brenda Carter, director of programs for the commission. Questions also were raised about the employability of someone who majored in Black studies, she says.
The Birmingham university has had courses in Black culture since the 1970s and a minor since 1989, but students began to ask for a major in the mid-1990s.
"When we looked around, we were astounded to find that this region, with a large population of African-American tradition and history, had no other program," says s provost, Dr. Peter O'Neil.
Minority Applications Increasing
At Miami University
OXFORD, Ohio — Minority applications at Miami University are up 27 percent from a year ago, school officials say.
Minority applications increased across the board among Black, American Indian, Hispanic and Asian students, university spokeswoman Holly Wissing says.
University administrators were pleased with the response, which came after Miami officials advertised last fall in newspapers and on radio and billboards to minority applicants, Wissing says.
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
