by Maggie Ybarra
Daily Lobo
UNM is ranked fourth out of 100 other institutions for awarding undergraduate degrees to American Indians.
The list was published in the magazine Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
Patrick Willink, a UNM graduate with a degree in Native American Studies, said the increase in American Indians receiving degrees might have to do with the specialty studies that UNM recently began to offer its students. When the University created the bachelor of arts degree in Native American Studies, Willink was a member of its first class, he said.
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The ranking UNM received from the magazine was based on degrees awarded to American Indian students on main campuses during the 2004-05 school year, according to a UNM news release.
The ranking shows there was a 16 percent increase in American Indian degree recipients over the 2003-04 school year, the release stated.
"I think with the establishment of the Native American Studies degree and the ability to major in Navajo Studies, the University is becoming a good place for Native Americans to study," Willink said.
Coline Peredo, a pharmacy doctorate student, said the rise in the American Indian student population indicated by the magazine is great news.
"The more diverse background, the more different perspectives to your courses and then your workplace," Peredo said.
UNM's fall 2005 enrollment report shows American Indian students make up about 6.5 percent of the student body.
UNM graduate Kimberly Comstock said future opportunities have more to do with raising the American Indian student population at UNM than any specialty degree the University might design.
"Most Native Americans are very skilled people," Comstock said. "They need to be able to use those skills and develop those skills."
Comstock said the rise of American Indian students at UNM is a gift.
"We have so many talented youth," she said. "There is a wealth of gifts in this group of people. It's beyond belief."
The University is making bigger strides on behalf of American Indian Students, said Pam Agoyo, director of American Indian student services.
"In the past, we haven't done a good job of focusing on their strengths," Agoyo said.
Agoyo said the magazine figures are not current and are based on information processed two years ago. The ranking is based solely on degrees given to American Indian students on main campuses, according to a UNM news release. It excludes the number of American Indian students who receive their degrees from branch campuses.
"We're a system campus - the Gallup campus has a higher rate of graduating Native Americans," Agoyo said.
Preliminary data for UNM's 2005-06 graduates predicts the number of American Indian students receiving degrees will rise from 168 to 250.
It makes sense for the number of American Indian graduates to rise, Willink said.
"A lot of Native Americans thought it was overdue because the Native Americans were here long before the University was established," Willink said.
