Black, Latino enrollment at LSU hits all-time high

LSU says it has more black and Latino students enrolled this semester than ever before. The LSU Office of Budget & Planning reports 3,054 of the 29,549 students on campus are black, or 10.3%, up from 2,835 last year. That narrowly eclipses a high mark for black student enrollment of 3,035 set in 2002. Latino students, meanwhile, account for 4.4% of total enrollment on campus, at 1,305. That’s an increase from the 1,149 Latino students enrolled at LSU last year, which was an all-time high. Part of LSU’s Flagship 2020 strategic goals is to strengthen the intellectual environment by increasing diversity among faculty, staff and students. “I am thrilled that ethnic minority students are now choosing LSU because of who we are as a university community,” says Katrice Albert, vice provost in the LSU Office of Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach. “While I am very pleased with the quality and diversity of the Class of 2016, there is still work to be done. We must redouble our retention efforts and continue to communicate the unique benefits associated with attending the only flagship research university in the state.” This year’s freshman class is also the largest in LSU history; at 5,725 students, it passes the previous high of 5,700 students in 2004.