Dr. Ivan Banks discussed law school diversity, need for more African Americans in various fields at annual law school meeting
Alcorn State University’s Dr. Ivan Banks spoke on pressing issues concerning law school and diversity.
Dr. Banks, executive director of Alcorn’s Vicksburg Expansion Center and Online Education, accepted an invitation to be a presenter at the 9th Annual Meeting of Law School Diversity Professionals April 23 and 24 at the Charlotte School of Law in Charlotte N.C. The title of Banks’ presentation was “A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Pipeline Challenges and Changes.” His presentation was part of the workshop’s theme, "Lest We Forget: Keeping the HBCU-to-Law-School Pipeline Open."
Dr. Banks’ presentation provided the basis for examining the correlation between the mission of HBCU’s and the diversity goals of the legal profession; deficiencies in and solutions to the deficiencies in the pipeline to law school for HBCU graduates; methods for success in recruitment, matriculation, retention and support for HBCU alumni in law school; and concrete, proven strategies to address the issues of HBCU alumni in law school.
“The issue is not about students from historically black colleges and universities being prepared, but the number of students produced by these schools,” said Banks. “We know that our students who are admitted to professional schools are as well prepared as students from virtually any other university. The question is how many students we prepare.”
Banks also pointed out the need for more African-Americans in the legal, medical and educational fields.
“While HBCU’s graduate strong students, we graduate too few to make the difference that's need in society. We need to increase the percentage of African-Americans in the legal, medical, and educational fields."
