The ongoing Contemporary Era has seen a significant change in the student pool. Colleges and Universities look very different today than they did in the early 1990s. 25% of all students involved in Higher Education are now ethnic minorities.
The Latino and Asian populations on campus have doubled in twenty years. Over 60% of recent high school graduates go straight to college. Women, part-time and adult students are no longer able to be called minority groups when their enrollment ratio exceeds 50%.
Despite the explosion in enrollments on campus, low income, Latino, African Americans and Native Americans are still significantly underrepresented in Higher Education. Many in these four groups are eliminated from the college pool before high school graduation. High School dropout rates can be as high as 33% for these underrepresented populations. Two thirds of white high school graduates enter college, while the underrepresented groups struggle to get 50% of their populations enrolled. Low-income students from every ethnic background are notably underrepresented.
Surveys have shown that low-income students only have a one in eight chance of enrolling in college.
The significant changes in the student pool will have important implications for colleges and universities. As tight and constrained as our Higher Education budgets are, there will still be an increased demand for Higher Education. Public colleges are facing enormous pressure to enroll more students with less state funding and not deny students who might need remedial work or can’t pay their “fair share”.
The increasingly diverse student body continues to change what our campuses look like. Colleges and Universities continue to struggle to respond effectively to the now large population of underrepresented students. Dropout rates are high and have not improved for these groups. Institutions of higher learning will need to come up with acceptable answers for the difficult questions surrounding its diverse population.
After selecting an issue: Write a 5 page APA style, Microsoft Word, Research Paper inclusive of the following topics.
The background and history of the issue.
A. Current status of the Issue, highlighting at least two diverse points of view on the issue.
B. The possible outcomes/direction that the issue may take in the near future.
C. Your recommendation for the long-term outcome/solution of the issue, inclusive of a detailed explanation of why you would recommend your resolution of the issue.
