UAA among institutions with highest equity score for black students

UAA scored among the top public schools in the country when it comes to serving black students, according to a recent report from the University of Southern California's Race and Equity Center.

The report analyzed data for 506 public institutions in the United States across four equity indicators: representation equity; gender equity; completion equity; and black student-to-black faculty ratio. Each institution included in the report received a letter grade (A, B, C, D, F or I) on the four indicators as well as an Equity Index Score, the equivalent of a grade point average.

UAA is one of only 36 institutions to receive an Equity Index Score of 3.00 or higher. The statewide average for Alaska, 1.83, factors in the scores for UAF (2.00) and UAS (0.50). The national average across all public institutions surveyed is 2.02.

Here's a breakdown of UAA's performance:

Representation equity - Whether an institution's percentage of black undergraduates matches the overall black population, ages 18 to 24, in that university's home state.

Three percent of UAA's undergraduate students are black, compared to 4.5 percent of all 18-24 year-olds in Alaska, earning the university a B grade in representation equity.

Gender equity - If a college or university enrolls the same percentage of black men and women as the percentage of men and women across all racial and ethnic groups nationwide (roughly 56 percent women and 44 percent men).

UAA received an A for its gender equity, which varies by less than three percent from the national average.

Completion equity - The extent to which black students graduate from a university within six years and if it matches an institution's overall graduation rate.

At UAA, the graduation rate for black students is 9.7 percent lower than the overall graduation rate. The university earned its lowest grade, C, in completion equity.

Black student-to-black faculty ratio - The ratio of full-time, degree-seeking black undergraduates to full-time black instructional faculty members on each campus.

UAA's black student-to-black faculty ratio is 25:1 (the national average is 42:1). Although UAA received a B in this category, the figure lags behind the university's overall faculty-to-student ratio of 14:1.

In addition to the rankings, the report recommends several actions institutions can take to improve the status of black students. Download the full report here.