Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge reports that there are 31,414 students enrolled this fall. This is the eighth highest total in university history. And the university reports that entering students are the most academically gifted in university history with the highest average score on the ACT college entrance examination and an average high school grade point average of 3.4.
The university also reports that there are 3,741 African Americans on campus this fall. This is an all-time record, surpassing the previous high set just last year.
F. King Alexander, president of Louisiana State University said that “we are proud to welcome one of our most diverse student bodies ever. And we’re happy to say that our progress doesn’t end with the first semester. For three consecutive years now, we’ve been able to celebrate new records for the number of African American graduates and we expect to maintain that trajectory going forward.”
While progress is commendable, it must be pointed out that African Americans make up 12 percent of the student body at the university. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 2015, Blacks were 32.5 percent of the Louisiana population.
Way to go LSU, the student body and the incoming students!
Remember that the Department of Education, for some odd reasons, insists that students who designate themselves as “Black in combination with another race” be placed in the vague “Two or more races” classification which will always cause an under count for the total number of Black students at any university.
This is true. But the latest U.S. Department of Education data shows that only 2 percent of the undergraduate student body at LSU is classified in the “two or more races” category.