The Justice

A 2003 Supreme Court decision that allowed public universities for the first time to consider race as a factor in admissions decisions has further intensified the competition to recruit minority students. And with many of those students coming from backgrounds that have left them inadequately prepared for elite colleges and universities, experts say, the pool of minority students is inevitably smaller, only increasing the competition between institutions.

"The kind of [minority] students Brandeis and other institutions are recruiting … there's not that many of them," Vilanueva said.

The challenges in enrolling a diverse student body are many, both for Brandeis and at other colleges and universities. The reduced buying power of Pell Grants for low-income students has made college less affordable for minorities in recent years, said Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust.

She also described the popular U.S. News and World Report ranking system as "perverse."

"You don't get any points in higher education for serving minorities," she said in a phone interview.

And then there's Brandeis' Jewish identity, which, depending on who is asked, can be seen as either a weakness or an asset when recruiting minority students. Some minority students say it was the University's emphasis on social justice that drew them here. Others say its Jewish identity almost scared them off.

"I think the Brandeis story translates very well into making [minorities] want to come here," said Robert Andrews, a recruiter in the Office of Admissions. "The issue is telling them the story."

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