EAST LANSING, Mich. - aMagazine, the largest-circulation Asian publication in the United States, has ranked Michigan State University among the best colleges for Asian Americans.
In the second-annual survey, MSU ranked third among top colleges in the Midwest and 24th among national universities. The magazine developed the survey to explore the social, academic, administrative and financial factors that prospective Asian American college students might find helpful in deciding where to spend their undergraduate years.
Paulette Granberry Russell, MSU's director of the Office of Affirmative Action Compliance and Monitoring and senior adviser to the president on diversity issues, said that MSU has a long tradition of assuring a diverse student body.
"MSU is very pleased that its commitment to diversity has resulted in being so highly ranked by the aMagazine survey respondents," said Granberry Russell.
According to 1999-2000 enrollment statistics, MSU's total student enrollment of 43,038 includes 6,570 minorities - a total of 15.3 percent. More than 1,700 students are Asian Pacific Islanders. (Enrollment statistics for the 2000-01 academic year will be available in October.)
"The ranking is a reflection of the contribution that the Asian American campus community has made to university life, and we are pleased that Michigan State is viewed as a campus that welcomes diversity," said Gordon Stanley, director of the Office of Admissions.
aMagazine scored schools based on 10 different factors in several broad categories including: Asian Pacific American student population; student diversity; Asian Pacific American full-time faculty; Asian Pacific American tenured faculty; Asian Pacific American administrators; Asian Pacific American majors/minors; Asian Pacific freshmen retention; student organizations; and financial aid.
Other universities in the Midwest that were recognized by aMagazine include Wayne State University, Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Carleton College, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Washington University, Case Western Reserve University and University of Iowa.