Recent statistics reveal that the number of minority transfer students at NIU has risen by 69 percent over the last three years.

A report compiled by the Board of Regents Chancellor’s Office details the results of an ongoing multi-year initiative to increase minority enrollment in the Regents universities, which include NIU, Illinois State University in Normal and Sangamon State University in Springfield.

The report details efforts made by the universities to increase enrollment of minority transfer students and the progress gained in the initiative.

The report states NIU had 1,905 undergraduate transfer students, or 44 percent of all incoming undergraduates, for 1992. Of the 1,905, 157 or 8.2 percent, were either African-Americans or Hispanics.

The number of African-American and Hispanic transfer students at NIU has risen 69 percent since 1989 when there were only 93 minority transfer students.

The report was presented to the Regents last month by Chancellor Roderick Groves.

“I find it a very encouraging report,” he said. “Several years ago I suggested the universities vigorously seek out transfer students in order to obtain a larger amount of minority students,” he said.

Groves gave two reasons why the initiative is aimed at transfer students. He said there is a disproportionate amount of minority students in community colleges and transfer students have a better chance of graduating compared to incoming freshmen, he said.

“This is an extremely important process for recruiting well-qualified minority students into our universities,” he said. “These are students who generally have two years of experience under their belts and they come into the universities with a pretty good prospect of graduating.”

NIU uses several initiatives to enroll and retain minority transfer students. This includes several transfer student visits to NIU, a minority reception for interested students and their families and transfer agreements with Malcolm X College and South Suburban Community College.

NIU also has a tuition waiver program for African-American and Hispanic transfer students entering NIU with a 3.0 or higher GPA.

“These are students who generally have two years of experience under their belts and they come into the universities with a pretty good prospect of graduating.”

Roderick Groves, Board of Regents’ chancellor