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[Note: This material is copyright by The Daily Iowan, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of The Daily Iowan.]

After peering over data, which detailed the regent schools' lack of progress in retaining minority students through graduation, the regents called for Iowa universities to seek external advice for ways to bridge the ethnic gap in the levels of students receiving their diplomas.

"My concerns have elevated since last year," Regent Teresa Wahlert said. "Our policies … I don't know if they are right or wrong, but I think we need help."

One source of assistance may be institutions that are composed predominantly of minority students, she said. Though unaware whether such colleges more successfully retain and graduate minority students, she said, Iowa universities should consult them anyway.

"You need to steal as many great ideas as you can possibly find," she said.

In 2005, the UI had an 80.5 percent retention rate for minority students, 3.5 percent short of the university's target, according to a report detailing one-year retention rates by ethnicity for classes entering the UI in 2001-05.

UI Provost Michael Hogan contended that the UI has made "incremental progress," but he conceded that the predominantly white school needs help to further that growth.

In general, he said, the university needs to become more culturally diverse to attract and retain more minority pupils. The university hired 23 minority faculty members last year - a move Hogan said he hopes will trigger further diversity efforts.

"You will not get minority students to come and stay very long just because other minority students are there," the provost said. "You need to bring in your curriculum and faculty, too."

Regents also prompted the three state universities to combine resources and push a joint effort to increase minority retention.

Of the three schools, the University of Northern Iowa shows the greatest discrepancies in graduation rates between minority and white students, Regent President Michael Gartner said.

James Lubker, the UNI provost of academic affairs, said the Cedar Falls school's smaller number of students skews the percentages and thus the reality of the university's ethnic makeup.

"But that is not an excuse," he said. "We need to have more students. We need to graduate them. We need to retain them. And we are working on it."

Regent universities will draft a report within six months to determine what steps the schools should initiate, Hogan said. At least 18 months will pass before any marked improvement will show, the provost said.