"One of the reasons that the University of Virginia does well in retaining and graduating African American students is that we shower them with love," Turner says.

Since 1989, the school has paired each incoming Black freshmen with a Black upperclassmen who serves as a student mentor. Outreach efforts also include faculty mentors and a parents' advisory association. From the time a student is admitted to long after he or she is enrolled, the student receives regular correspondence from the university or Black upperclassmen - even birthday cards.

Turner says Black faculty and administrators take very seriously their role in helping Black students adjust and succeed at the university.

UVa is credited with not only making Black students feel comfortable. The school has also made efforts to develop relationships with the families of Black students. According to university officials, the Office of Admissions invites hundreds of prospective students and families to the campus twice during the admissions process - once when students are deciding where to apply, and again after they are accepted.

Last year, the Parents Advisory Association for African American Students at the University of Virginia presented a $4,000 check to UVa President John Casteen for the school's capital campaign. The group's donation represented a gesture of appreciation for the university's recruitment and retention efforts. Turner says the group will be presenting President Casteen another check by the end of the year.

School: University of Virginia Location: Charlottesville, Virginia Undergraduate Enrollment: 12,040 Men: 47 Women: 53 African American: 11% Hispanic: 2% Native American: - Asian or Pacific Islander: 10% Cost: $8,610 (in-state tuition plus room and board)

In Conclusion

The preceding pages represent a few of the efforts by colleges and universities to ensure that higher education is available to all students. But the above examples only scratch the surface. Many others exist. Even a short list includes such examples as:

Middle Tennessee State University which, with forty-two African American faculty members, a multimillion dollar building program, and a rapid enrollment growth is opening its doors to many more students - both White and Black. Such rapid growth is a testament to the leadship of the institution's president, Dr. James E. Walker, one of a small but growing number of African American presidents of traditionally White, Southern institutions. That small band of educational leaders may very well help change the face of higher education in the South.

Marshall University, a predominantly White university in West Virginia, which regularly brings African American high school students to the campus both to pique their interest and motivate them to enroll. But officials there know that just enrolling more African American and Hispanic students isn't enough. They also have in the works a substantive program they are calling the Harmony Institute, which will help students work together and feel comfortable together. Marshall's president, Dr. J. Wade Gilley, and the institute's director, Betty Cleckley, are working to get beyond numerical diversity.

Temple University, in Philadelphia, which has consistently posted top honors for graduating African Americans at both an undergraduate and graduate level. It boasts the nation's first - and largest - Ph.D. program in African American studies. And its commitment to diversity can also be seen by the fact that until the recent resignation of football coach Ron Dickerson, its basketball - coached by John Chaney - and football programs have been led by African Americans. Many more examples exist. In most of them, the work of the institution have been led by one person or a small group of people who have worked creatively to widen the doors of higher education. They have put into practice their beliefs that higher education should not be available only to an elite few, but to everyone.

Space does not allow us to include all of the noteworthy efforts. But by sharing these examples, we hope to demonstrate that there is a growing body of evidence that commitment to diversity persists.

Editor's note: The information in the boxes was drawn from Peterson's Guide to Four-Year Colleges, 1998.