National University Ranks 3rd Nationally in Granting Master's Degrees to Hispanics.

Business Editors & Education Writers

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2001

National University awarded 257 master's degrees to Hispanics in 1998-1999, outperforming all but two universities nationally in that category, according to The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.

In its annual "Top 100 colleges for Hispanics" list, published on May 7, The Hispanic Outlook based its rankings on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Florida International University ranked first, awarding 467 master's degrees to Hispanics during the same period. Nova Southeastern University ranked second, granting 331. Last year The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education ranked National University 13th nationally in the number of master's degrees awarded to Hispanics, with 158.

Among colleges and universities in California, National University ranked first for the second consecutive year. California State University Los Angeles ranked second, awarding 200 master's degrees to Hispanics. University of Southern California, which granted 195, ranked third. San Diego State ranked 4th statewide and 14th nationally with 174, and UCLA ranked 5th statewide and 17th nationally with 156.

The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education's rankings are posted on the Web at http://www.hispanicoutlook.com/top100.html.

National University's progress in granting master's degrees to Hispanics is consistent with its mission statement of "making lifelong learning opportunities accessible, challenging, and relevant to a diverse population of adult learners."

"These numbers represent substantial progress in our efforts to build an inclusive student and alumni base," said Thomas MacCalla, Ed.D., National University's vice president for Multicultural Affairs. "Meeting the educational needs of Hispanics and Latinos at a graduate level is critical in a state as socially and culturally diverse as California."

Almost 90 percent of Americans believe that it is important to have students of different races, cultures and backgrounds in higher education and that diversity is important to the quality of higher education, according to data released last year by the Business Higher Education Forum -- a collaboration between the American Council on Education and the National alliance of Business.

Three recent research studies by the American Council on Education and the American Association of University Professors provide further evidence that diversity in higher education benefits both students and faculty. These studies revealed that a majority of students and faculty in multi-racial/multi-ethnic classrooms said that the broader range of ideas and perspectives that result from a diverse classroom generates more complex thinking among all students and has a positive impact on students' cognitive and personal development. Nearly 70 percent of faculty members surveyed in one of the studies said that a diverse student body is either important or extremely important at their institutions. For more information, contact Hoyt Smith at 858/642-8111.

Headquartered in San Diego, National University (NU) has 26 regional centers in 10 major metropolitan areas throughout California. It offers 22 graduate and 23 undergraduate degree programs, including over 150 online courses and 16 online degree programs, as well as 15 teacher credential and certificate programs, a majority of which are available through a unique one-course-per-month format. NU is a nonprofit, independent institution, accredited by five accrediting bodies, including the Western Association of schools and Colleges (WASC). The university was founded in San Diego in 1971 to make lifelong learning opportunities accessible, challenging and relevant to a diverse population of adult learners. With more than 25,000 students enrolled, NU is the second largest private university in California in terms of combined graduate and undergraduate enrollment. There are almost 88,000 NU alumni. For the past seven years, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education and Black Issues in Higher Education have consistently recognized NU for its commitment to diversity. In the 1999 Black Issues in Higher Education survey of the "Top 100" colleges and universities, NU ranked 16th among more than 3,000 post-secondary education institutions in awarding master's degrees to all minorities in all disciplines. NU also has the distinction of recommending more individuals for teaching credentials than any other university in the state, and continues to be a leader in online and classroom instruction, utilizing CD-ROMs, the Internet and videoconferencing to provide distance education, domestically and throughout the world. For more information, please contact Hoyt Smith at 858/642-8111. Watch National University's Web site for new developments at www.nu.edu.