Inter-College Group To Advise Minorities

A consortium of Ivy League and traditionally Black or Hispanic colleges are coming together in order to improve minority representation in academia.

The consortium, which is called the Leadership Alliance, plans to fund summer research programs for minority students, starting this summer.

"I almost become evangelical when I tell my students, `Go on to graduate school. Consider becoming scholars and working at a university where you will teach, write, publish and have some impact on society'," said William E. Moore, vice chancellor for academic affairs at Southern University at Baton Rouge.

Southern University will be one of the more than 20 institutions in the Alliance.

The Alliance will comprise the eight Ivy League schools and 12 historically Black or Hispanic institutions, including Xavier University, Howard University and Moorehouse College.

New York and Johns Hopkins Universities also plan to join, according to James H. Wyche, associate provost of Brown University.

Although members convened in December of 1991, the Alliance will formalize their organization as early as January.

"Trying to get more than 20 institutions to agree to all the various points is not easy," Wyche said.

The presidents of the universities involved will make a formal announcement in Washington, D.C., at the National Press Club once they have agreed on a plan detailing the Alliance'sstructure and functions, he said.

One purpose of the public announcement may beto attract attention and funding from educationalfoundations.

Formed under the initiative of Brown PresidentVartan Gregorian, the Alliance's main goal is toraise the graduate school application pool ofminorities four-fold by the year 2000.

Both Moore and Wyche spoke of the Alliance as"a pooling" of already-extant relationshipsbetween many Northeastern and Southernuniversities.

The Leadership Alliance will broaden themechanisms of faculty and student exchangesbetween the members, "a two-way process in whichall participants would be beneficiaries," Mooresaid.

The Alliance also plans to foster undergraduateinterest in academic careers through grants andexchanges. In addition, the organization willexamine ways to improve minority education at theK to 12 grade levels.

"One in three of all new workers in the year2000 will be women or minorities," Wyche said,illustrating why the preparation of minoritystudents is a main goal of the Alliance.

The Alliance is funded by an anonymous giftmade to Brown by a woman concerned with diversityissues. The gift will pay $350,000 a year for thenext 15 years.

"But the whole process has gotten very costly,"said Wyche. The organization plans to apply to thePew Foundation, the Ford Foundation and theNational Science Foundation for additional funds.

Administrators involved expressed excitementabout the possibilities of increased interactionbetween their institions and the creation ofincreased minority presence in scholarly fields.

"Teaching in the historically Blackinstitutions has been, in a work, superlative, buttheir research roles have been less substantial.We hope to provide some of the research acumen andincrease the opportunities for minorities inresearch," said Wyche

One purpose of the public announcement may beto attract attention and funding from educationalfoundations.

Formed under the initiative of Brown PresidentVartan Gregorian, the Alliance's main goal is toraise the graduate school application pool ofminorities four-fold by the year 2000.

Both Moore and Wyche spoke of the Alliance as"a pooling" of already-extant relationshipsbetween many Northeastern and Southernuniversities.

The Leadership Alliance will broaden themechanisms of faculty and student exchangesbetween the members, "a two-way process in whichall participants would be beneficiaries," Mooresaid.

The Alliance also plans to foster undergraduateinterest in academic careers through grants andexchanges. In addition, the organization willexamine ways to improve minority education at theK to 12 grade levels.

"One in three of all new workers in the year2000 will be women or minorities," Wyche said,illustrating why the preparation of minoritystudents is a main goal of the Alliance.

The Alliance is funded by an anonymous giftmade to Brown by a woman concerned with diversityissues. The gift will pay $350,000 a year for thenext 15 years.

"But the whole process has gotten very costly,"said Wyche. The organization plans to apply to thePew Foundation, the Ford Foundation and theNational Science Foundation for additional funds.

Administrators involved expressed excitementabout the possibilities of increased interactionbetween their institions and the creation ofincreased minority presence in scholarly fields.

"Teaching in the historically Blackinstitutions has been, in a work, superlative, buttheir research roles have been less substantial.We hope to provide some of the research acumen andincrease the opportunities for minorities inresearch," said Wyche