THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 20, 1994 TAG: 9410200369
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
Virginia Wesleyan College has nearly doubled its minority enrollment in the past six years, President William T. ``Billy'' Greer Jr. said Wednesday.
Minority enrollment grew from 9 percent in 1988 to 14 percent now, Greer said at a Board of Trustees meeting. The percentage of blacks in the student body has risen from 5 percent in 1988 to 7 percent this year. Last year, it was 5.9 percent.
Since last year, total enrollment at the school rose from 1,548 to 1,568 - a new high for Wesleyan.
Greer said a boost in the college's magazine ratings will push the total even higher next year.
Wesleyan was listed among more than 150 top ``national liberal arts colleges'' in the recently released college rankings by U.S. News & World Report magazine. The magazine previously placed Wesleyan in the regional ``Southern liberal arts colleges'' category.
``We think that in a society that is so highly geared to marketing, this is a good marketing device'' for Wesleyan, Greer said in an interview.
``We believe that parents and students go to publications like that'' to help select a school to attend. ILLUSTRATION: President William T. Greer Jr.
by CNB