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By Johnny Cruz, University Communications
January 6, 2009

A new report says that The University of Arizona is one of the leading universities in the country when it comes to granting doctoral degrees to Hispanic and Native American students.

The Survey of Earned Doctorates reports the UA is No. 5 in the country in doctoral degrees granted to Native American students from 2003-2007, and No. 6 nationally in degrees granted to Hispanic students.

Maria Teresa Velez, associate dean of the UA Graduate College, attributes several factors in the University's excellence in recruiting doctoral students who are minorities and helping them complete their degrees.

"There is a culture at the UA that equates diversity with excellence," Velez said. "And there is a true commitment as a university to attracting the best students and faculty."

The Survey of Earned Doctorates is conducted for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of the Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and NASA by the National Opinion Research Center.

From 2003-2007, the UA granted 121 doctoral degrees to Hispanic students, tied with the University of Michigan. During that time, they granted 18 doctoral degrees to Native American students, two more than the University of Michigan and the Fielding Graduate Institute.

Velez credits several recruitment initiatives by the UA Graduate College, increased Hispanic and Native American undergraduate enrollment and retention of undergraduate students from Arizona to record doctoral degree production at the UA.

"Sustained efforts at the undergraduate level for the last 20 years to educate Arizona's student has contributed to this achievement," Velez said.

Recruitment efforts include graduate preparation programs for undergraduate students, outreach in areas with high minority undergraduate enrollment and participation in national minority graduate school fairs.

As the UA reaches out to prospective graduate students, according to Velez, it targets students with research interests that are a good fit at the UA.

Among its counterparts in the Association of American Universities, the UA is tied with UCLA for the largest percentage – 13 percent – of graduate students who are underrepresented minorities.

While Velez is pleased that the UA ranks among the nation's leading universities in granting advanced degrees to minority students, she is "saddened that the numbers nationwide don't reflect the numbers of minorities in this country."