Beering reaches goal of increasing student diversity

By Kelly Lucas
Campus Editor

More than 13 years ago, President Steven Beering had a goal of making Purdue more involved on an international level; 13 years later, he saw that goal become a reality.

Purdue is ranked No. 1 in its international student enrollment, and Beering has seen an almost 50 percent increase in minority students since the beginning of his term as president.

"I am very keen on having a diverse population of students, faculty, staff — everybody," said Beering. "To a large extent, we've been doing that (embracing everybody) here."

According to Robert Ringel, executive vice president of academic affairs, the total number of minorities has been climbing steadily over the years.

However, Ringel said the ideal goal is to have the people represented on campus in proportion to the population of the United States.

"We have a ways to go; we're active and trying very hard," said Ringel. "There is not a single campus in the United States like that."

Alysa Rollock, vice president for human relations, believes Purdue has a long way to go in regards to having a more diverse student body.

"I believe we have a diverse student body, but I'm not satisfied and we should be satisfied," said Rollock. "Our goal is to have a university where each member of the student body, faculty and staff are valued for their unique heritage and contributions … where they are able to fully realize their potential."

Rollock said the University has continued to fulfill Purdue's mission as a land-grant university and to make higher education available to persons from all walks of life.

Rollock said Beering has supported the expansion of minorities on campus immensely. She said that not only did Beering take an active role in expanding the international student population but has taken great strides to replace facilities that were deemed inadequate; one example is the new Black Cultural Center.

Rollock said the University explored the issue and, with Beering's support, the University provided land and funding for the new center, which — according to Rollock — is one of the nation's premier black cultural centers.

"The Black Cultural Center gives physical expression to our desire to celebrate the African heritage," said Beering. "We ought to celebrate everybody's talent."

However, with the strides to make Purdue a more diverse environment, some students feel the University is lacking in that area.

Bill McKee, a senior in the School of Management, said, "I don't think my classes are very diverse."

However, some students feel Purdue is very diverse. "Compared to the area in which I grew up in, I think Purdue has a relatively diverse population," said Travis Bainbridge, a graduate student.

Charlie Stewart, professor of communication, said he has seen a change in the minority population within his classes. "I think in my classes I see more Hispanic students than I used to see," he said. Stewart attributes this to the growing population of Hispanics in Indiana and the rest of the Midwest.

However, Stewart has not seen a change in the African—American student population but has seen international student populations grow.

Rollock said, ideally, she would like to be able to have prospective students view Purdue as an institution they can thrive at.

"We need to do more than sit back and wait for people to recognize our greatness," she said. "We need to do more recruitment, not only of undergraduates but graduate students and faculty. We are an educational institution; we ought to be preparing future students and working in collaboration with K—12 instructors to prepare undergraduates."

Rollock said the University is taking great strides to prepare students who are going into a global environment by exposing them to various cultures in college.

She said part of the ability to work with, understand and be a good neighbor to others is acquired during the college years.

"I think one of the aspects of diversity that the president has seen during his term is for minority students to feel a greater part of the Purdue community through participation in more student organizations," she said.