Prospective students understand that UC Berkeley opens the doors of opportunity and transforms lives. They also know that the university welcomes talented students from all ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Diminished state funding is surely lamentable, but it is just part of the equation. For a more complete picture, consider some other important numbers: In 1960 almost all UC Berkeley undergraduates were middle or upper-middle class. In 2010, 34 percent were Pell Grant recipients, meaning they came from households with annual incomes below $45,000. We have more Pell grant students than all eight Ivy League universities combined… In 1960, more than half of Berkeley undergrads were white males. In 2010 this group represents only 15 percent of the undergraduates. In 1960, 90 percent of Berkeley’s undergrads came from families where both parents were born in the United States. In 2010, more than 60 percent of UC Berkeley’s undergraduates came from families where both parents were born outside the U.S.

Read full article [here].
by Robert Haas and Richard Lyons, The Contra Costa Times.

Posted: March 24th, 2012, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.