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Minority Trends in University Programs
The overall decline in the number of Ph.D.’s could be due in part of the fact that the student pipeline still does not reflect the changing U.S. population. Although the number of the minorities receiving Ph.D.’s in chemistry and chemical engineering is actually increasing, the proportion of minorities in the chemical sciences still falls far short of the proportion of minorities of the total U.S. population. (See Figure, right)
Little progress has been made to diversify the faculties of the top academic chemistry departments. A recent study by Donna Nelson of the University of Oklahoma shows that in the top 50 chemistry departments in the United States. African-Americans account for only 1.1 percent of the faculty.[1] This lack of minority faculty representation seems to be the primary glass ceiling within academia. It persists while notable advances have occurred throughout top corporate research centers and within some federal agencies.
1. "The Nelson Diversity Surveys" Nelson, JD.: Norman, Okla, 2002; http://cheminfo.chem.ou.edu/faculty/djn/diversity/top50.htmlContact BCST at (202) 334-2156