Minority PhD's: Graduation rates declining

My college daily, The Lantern, has an excellent website that allows geeks like me to keep up with what's going on at good ole OSU.

They had a pretty important story up recently about minority graduation rates in the graduate program, and how the graduation rates are falling sharply.

I think this story is indicative of how the GOP has neglected higher education in Ohio. College affordability in Ohio has taken a huge hit in the last 10 years and it will manifest itself in all kinds of ways, including graduation rates. People can't come do degree programs here if they can't afford it, and if the state isn't helping to pick up the cost.

Obviously there are lots of questions about these kinds of statistics, like how do foreign students get counted, are their graduation rates increasing or decreasing, and so on. But on the surface these numbers don't look good.

An excerpt after the jump.

UPDATE: see this post at Nookular Option about college affordability as well.

This issue was brought to the attention of OSU President Karen A. Holbrook by Frank W. Hale Jr., vice provost and professor emeritus, in a July 31 letter indicating concern that OSU, "once the number one producer of black Ph.D.s in America, is now ranked number 31."

"I was frustrated beyond measure to see how minority students' presence has plummeted at The Ohio State University in recent years," Hale said.

Hale said he came to OSU in 1971 and designed the Graduate and Professional Schools Visitation Days Program, which invited top minority students to visit OSU. Because of his initiative, nearly $15 million in graduate fellowship awards were awarded to minority students.

"During the '70s and '80s, we became the number one producer of Ph.D.s (because of the recruitment program)," Hale said. "Even though the program continues, I was concerned we are not ranked as high."