Digital Scholarship and Initiatives

A survey for the academic year 1999-2000 of degrees awarded to minority students in the United States shows that UNCP ranks tenth in the nation in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded to Native Americans. The survey was published in the June 7, 2001 issue of Black Issues in Higher Education. (see “The Top 100: Interpreting the Data,” a 49-page article beginning on page 40, available full text in InfoTrac OneFile, a NCLIVE database).

The survey also shows that UNCP ranks first among colleges east of the Mississippi River in undergraduate degrees granted to Native Americans; third nationally in percentage of graduates overall who are Native American; and first nationally in number of Native American graduates who majored in biology.

UNCP had its highest Native American enrollment in 2000-2001--797 students--and expects to top that number in the fall 2001 semester. UNCP has used an expanded direct mail and telephone campaign to recruit Robeson County Native American students and has established scholarships for Robeson County students who graduate in the top 5% of their high school class. A federal grant has been obtained to assist Native American education majors.

The article also discusses other efforts to recruit Native American students and other areas in which UNCP ranks in the top 10 nationally for Native American participation.