Anyone who was there will remember his bold announcement that day.
It was the beginning of fall semester 2002, and Minnesota State University President Richard Davenport, standing before a Centennial Student Union Ballroom crowd packed with faculty staff and students, was about to unveil his new strategic plan for the university.
While it wasn't necessarily news, he told the mostly white crowd that MSU's record of attracting students and faculty of color was a poor one. For that reason, and to enhance the learning experience for everyone on campus, Davenport announced that his No. 1 priority for the university was to help make the university a little less white.
What has happened since then? A lot. For one thing, Davenport announced another bold goal: to become a lot bigger, possibly as big as 19,000 or 20,000 students. Getting there, he said, will require major increases in students of color and international students.
Those numbers are rising. The number of freshmen of color enrolled in 2004 made up 5.8 percent of the freshman class. By 2007, that number had jumped to 7.8 percent.
In 2003, 3.2 percent of the student body was students of color. Right now that number is up to 8 percent (440 students to 1,064), and the goal by 2010 is 11 percent.
This spring, although numbers for Hispanic and American Indian students are down, numbers for black and Asian students are way up.
Admitted applications for international first-year students this spring were on pace to nearly double the numbers from last. International transfer students were up nearly 60 percent, and that number is expected to rise as well.
The numbers suggest MSU is on its way to becoming the place Davenport envisioned in 2002. But even Davenport will be the first to tell you the work is far from finished.
"(Diversity) is not a strategic goal you can achieve overnight," he said. "It's more of a long-term commitment."
Numbers, they say, don't lie.
Of the 2004-'07 bump in students of color, Davenport says, "That's very significant when you consider our total enrollment."
Also, the number of admitted transfer students of color is up about 21 percent over last year. Included in that number are Asian and African-American students, both of which are on pace to post 30 percent increases next year.
"We think that we'll see this trend continuing for African-American and Asian students," Davenport said.
Where MSU is not seeing good progress is in Hispanic and Native American Indian students.
"For the American Indian students, ever since I've been here, we've had a very difficult time attracting them here," he said.
Some of the reasons are more than a century old. Davenport said the stigma associated with the Dakota Conflict still leaves a negative image in the minds of potential students and their families.
Also, other institutions — most notably Bemidji State University — have done a better job recruiting that group of students. An added advantage for Bemidji, Davenport said, is that Native American Indian students typically don't like to go far from home.
It's a bit more of a mystery why more Hispanics aren't coming to MSU.
During the past 20 years, the Hispanic population has grown considerably in southern Minnesota, particularly in Watonwan County and the far southwestern corner of the state in the Worthington area.
Research shows, Davenport said, that more Hispanics are choosing Southwest Minnesota State University or going north to Minnesota State University, Moorhead.
"I'll be studying our admission efforts in the southwest part of the state."
Davenport said he noticed the problem immediately when he got to town.
"There were problems here at the university. And there were problems in the community. There still are," he said. "We want students to have the experience of what diversity is all about, and our campus has very much embraced this."
After announcing the goal, one thing that was done was the establishment of the Diversity Commission. MSU put about $240,000 into the idea and it helped launch and promote various culturally diverse programs each year.
It also produced about 130 hours of diversity education every year.
"That's a lot of diversity education in a year's time," Davenport said.
One program routinely cited as being a major factor in the changing complexion of the student body is CAP (College Access Program).
Michael Fagin, MSU dean of Institutional Diversity, said CAP is a four-week "college access bridge program." It takes students of color, and students who often are future first-generation college students, and brings them to campus for four weeks during the summer.
While here, students are immersed in an environment that very closely mimics what college will be like when they get there. They get a firsthand look at dorm life (and food), and they take classes that require college-level studying and concentration.
They are mentored and encouraged by MSU students and faculty, who all the while sing the praises of MSU.
"It gets students thinking about college, students who may not otherwise have considered it," Davenport said.
MSU also is partnering with a nonprofit organization called Admission Possible, which prepares students for college studies.
Many international students come to MSU without a lot of English language skills. All students must pass a language proficiency test to be admitted, but even students who pass are sometimes in need of remedial help. Using the College Access writing program and the English Language Center, students who need help with English can get it right on campus.
"Merging all of these different programs," Davenport said, "is going to make a very positive contribution toward retention, success and recruitment. So I feel pretty positive about our efforts, but I'd be the first one to say we've got a long way to go.
"We're not in a metropolitan area. Students don't flock here," he said. "We have to work very, very hard to get students to come here."
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