The college I regrettfully claim as my alma matter gets a pat on the back today from the Seattle Times, for its minority recruitment efforts.

Cougars of color

Washington State University long ago overcame a relatively remote location to succeed as a respected academic and research institution.

But diversity has come to WSU at a slower rate. Distance can be a deterrent to attracting a diverse student body, and in response, WSU created the Future Cougars of Color program, an aggressive recruitment and retention plan already bearing fruit. Last spring, WSU invited 66 students of color with average GPAs of 3.57 to spend the weekend in Pullman, learning about the university's 10 academic colleges and getting a feel for the place. Two-thirds of those students now have committed to WSU, making it the most successful diversity recruitment effort in the school's history.

The rate of college-bound students of color is on the rise. Credit WSU and its corporate partners, including Bon-Macy's, for creating a purposeful union that will keep many of our best and brightest here in the state.

The students won't be let down by WSU, where a beautiful campus, top-notch professors and myriad support programs await them.

Those recruits make up a whopping 1% of what should be a freshman class of 4,000, as well as a statistically insignificant increase to the current minority popul;ation, which runs at somewhere around 25%. Way to co, Cougs! Great job!