Chancellor's Response to Legion of Black Collegians' Letter

View the Legion of Black Collegians’ Letter (PDF) to Chancellor Deaton

March 17, 2005

Meggan Marberry
President
Legion of Black Collegians
A022 Brady Commons
Campus

Dear Meggan:

Thank you for inviting me to meet with the Legion of Black Collegians on March 2, 2005. I was very impressed with the commitment and sincerity of the students.

I want to respond to the list of demands you presented to me at your meeting, as I believe you and the members of LBC have given a great deal of thought in developing this list.

  1. Develop a Black Studies Major at MU — The director of Black Studies is working on a plan of action to achieve departmental status. We will do all we can in these difficult budgetary times to implement a carefully crafted plan that promises to grow a sustainable department. Evidence of demand for the degree is a critical element of this process.

  2. Increase Minority Scholarships in Accordance with the Increases in Tuition and Fees — As tuition increases we increase the financial aid budget comparably. This phased increase enables us to provide aid to students who have the greatest need. What we have not been able to do, given limited resources, is increase the amounts of our merit scholarships, i.e., Curators, Transition, and Brooks Scholarships. Right now, Dr. Ann Korschgen, Vice Provost of Enrollment Management, and her staff are reviewing all of our scholarships and financial aid policies. Our aim is to craft policies that promote recruitment of the best and brightest minority students and ensure that attendance at MU is affordable for all students.

  3. Increase the Numbers of Black Faculty and Staff at MU — As I discussed at your meeting, the Provost reallocates funds, as needed, on a shared basis with colleges for the expressed purpose of recruiting minority faculty. This has proven to be a successful strategy. We have increased the number of minority faculty across the campus. At the same time, some departments have been more successful than others. We will continue to work with the deans and department chairs to make our faculty and staff more diverse by aggressive national searches, coordinating search efforts across departments and colleges and by making multiple offers simultaneously whenever that improves the probability of minority hiring.

  4. Reparations for Funding Taken Away From LBC in Past Years — LBC receives a dedicated student fee each academic year. This fee, like all other student activity fees, is increased at the rate of inflation. I am not aware of other allocations to LBC that have been reduced and would welcome additional information you can provide on this issue.

  5. Increase Funding for the Legion of Black Collegians — The LBC, as the recognized Black Student Government, is funded as the Missouri Students Association (MSA) and the Graduate and Professional Council (GPC) are funded, through student activity fees. The University's support is provided through the staff that serve as advisors and support staff to the organizations. I urge you to work with MSA and GPC to discuss ways in which student fees could be reallocated to provide additional support to LBC.

  6. An Honorary Undergraduate Degree for Lloyd Gaines — This request seems reasonable to me. I have asked my staff to further explore this question.

  7. Dedication of a Building to an African-American Icon — Naming buildings at the University rests with the Board of Curators. We make recommendations for such naming opportunities based on the individual's financial or other contributions to the University of Missouri-Columbia. We will review with you the process we use and invite your suggestions for strategies to achieve this objective. Please give thought to individuals and corporations who would potentially add their support for such efforts.

  8. Expand the Gaines-Oldham Black Culture Center — This is a very difficult request to respond to immediately. The campus faces many challenges with respect to the shortage of classroom and laboratory space needed to advance our priorities for improving the quality of undergraduate and graduate education. To meet these needs and the need you have expressed, we must obtain additional funding from the state, the federal government, or from private donors. Currently, there may be ways to better utilize the space within the center to give students more social and study space. I encourage you to work with the staff in Student Affairs to explore some other alternatives.

  9. Increase the Numbers of African-American Students — I share your desire to increase our African-American student enrollment. We are making some gains in this area, and I am encouraged that our retention and graduation rates for African-American students continue to improve. We will continue to develop new methods to recruit high-ability African-American students and have placed recruiters in Chicago, St. Louis, and Dallas, and we are analyzing the possibility of adding recruiters in other geographic areas.

    We are also working to develop the “pipeline” of qualified students. Our admissions staff is bringing high school sophomores and juniors to campus to expose them to the career benefits of a large research university that also offers a supportive social environment. We want these students to start thinking early about attending MU. We are holding college fairs for St. Louis high school students in African-American churches and will continue to develop methods to recruit qualified African-American students.

  10. Incorporate a Multicultural Course as a General Education Requirement — Curricular decisions are made by the faculty. We know that employers and graduate schools value a student's ability to work and live in a diverse society; therefore, as a part of our general education curriculum, we are developing a multicultural certification. To receive this certification, a student would be required to take 12 credits of courses with multicultural content. We hope to have this approved very soon.

I trust the above information gives you a clear understanding of the direction we are taking, which, we believe, is in line with your demands. Deputy Chancellor and Professor Mike Middleton will monitor progress on each of these items. Please feel free to contact him as further information is needed.

I welcome the opportunity to meet with you and the members of LBC before the end of the semester. My assistant, Ann Oberhaus, 882-0627, will be pleased to schedule a time for us to continue our dialogue. Please call her at your convenience. In the meantime, have a great Spring Break!

Sincerely,

Brady J. Deaton
Chancellor

cc Chancellor's Staff