Allison Oster
Senior Media Relations Specialist
(626) 815-4518
APU Ranks Among Top 100 Schools in Awarding Degrees to Minority Students
September 22, 2005
AZUSA, Calif. –
Azusa Pacific University secured a top ranking among schools nationwide in the 2004 Black Issues in Higher Education Top 100 Degree Producers issue. APU ranked 13th for awarding total minority master’s degrees in Education, the result of a 11 percent graduate increase in 2003-04. The university’s diversity rankings charted growth in other categories as well.
“This recognition illustrates the university’s intentional effort to serve as an institution recognized for the caliber of our scholarship and the rich complexity of our community,” said Michael M. Whyte, Ph.D., university provost. “APU is committed to delivering a first-class academic experience to all students, regardless of their background.”
The annual rankings are based on preliminary data from universities that conferred master’s degrees during the 2003-04 school year. APU awarded master’s degrees to 272 minority students in 2003-04, or 30 percent of the university’s total master’s degree recipients. APU also ranked high in the following categories in the Top 100 Degree Producers issue:
- Master’s Degrees: All Disciplines Combined results:
Hispanic – 18th (21 percent increase in master’s degree recipients) - Master’s Degrees: Education category results:
Hispanic – 7th (18 percent increase in master’s degree recipients)
“Increases in the enrollment and graduation of students from underrepresented backgrounds stand as a testimony to our institutional efforts to address diversity at APU,” said Pamela M. Christian, Ph.D., special assistant for university diversity at APU. “Effective recruitment and retention require collaboration, commitment, and consistency. Fortunately, the administration, faculty, staff, and students at APU remain dedicated to the qualitative, long-term objective of creating a welcoming campus for all students.”
For more information or a complete listing of this year’s results, visit www.blackissues.com.
Featured in TIME magazine and ranked as one of the nation’s best by U.S.News & World Report and The Princeton Review, Azusa Pacific is a comprehensive, Christian, evangelical university, committed to God First and known for excellence in higher education. Azusa Pacific’s main campus lies just 26 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley, while its seven Southern California regional centers bring convenience and extend quality programming. The university offers more than 50 areas of undergraduate study, 22 master’s degrees, and 6 doctorates to a total student population of more than 8,100. For more information, call (800) 825-5278 or visit www.apu.edu.
