University Times

A Deans Council group met for the first time yesterday, Feb. 18, to begin discussing ways Pitt can improve black student graduation rates.

Council members formed their Ad Hoc Committee on the Academic Success of Minority Students after meeting with Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Jack L. Daniel in December.

"Copies of Jack's report ["A 21st Century African American Student Agenda"] had been distributed prior to the Deans Council meeting, and we discussed what we could do to improve the situation," said Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Peter Koehler, who chairs the ad hoc committee.

"But it was a fairly vague discussion," Koehler said. "We felt we needed to focus that, which is why we formed this ad hoc committee. Our charge is to make recommendations to the Deans Council on specific steps we can take to increase the graduation rate of minority students." The ad hoc group plans to report back to the Deans Council by the end of the term, Koehler said.

The ad hoc committee includes Koehler and four other deans: Toni Carbo (School of Information Sciences), David Epperson (social work), Donald Mattison (Graduate School of Public Health) and Ellen Rudy (nursing) plus University Registrar Samuel Conte and Lauren Resnick, director of the Learning Research and Development Center. Daniel will serve as a resource person for the committee.