GSAS Registers Today

Back to school again--for about the 20th time.

Approximately 2900 men and women are expected to register today for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Among them will be 567 "GI `s," who are beginning their first year of post graduate education at GSAS.

Minorities will make up 6 percent of the incoming class or 37 students, the largest number in 10 years.

Admission officials said that GSAS is moving to attract even more minorities through the creation of a GSAS Director of Admissions post.

Drusilla Blackman, formerly Assistant Director of Admissions for Columbia, was appointed to the new GSAS position last month. At Columbia, Blackman was in charge of minority recruitment.

Associate Dean for Admissions Patricia McWade said she expects Blackman will further energize the Admissions office's effort to attract minorities to Harvard's graduate programs.

Blackman said she expects to focus on recruiting more minorities.

"If I didn't think I could make a difference, I wouldn't have taken the job," Blackman said.

Harvard officials said they created the GSAS director of Admissions post in response to a dramatic 30 percent increase in applications to the GSAS over the past three years. More than 5,000 applications were received for spots this fall.

The incoming class will also include large numbers of foreign students. Thirty-two percent of this fall's first year students will be visiting from abroad, a figure that has been rising slowly in the past few years.

Holding steady is the three to two male/female ratio in the GSAS. The male/female ratio is three to one in the natural sciences, while in the humanities the sexes are nearly balanced.

The new GSAS class has been invited to an orientation tommorrow that will treat them to breakfast, a welcome by President Bok, and a tour of Harvard.