The U.S. Naval Academy?s inability to attract more minorities continues to frustrate Maryland Sen. Benjamin Cardin.
“I was not pleased,” Cardin said Monday during the Board of Visitors meeting. “We?re looking into ways to attract a broader applicant pool.”
Every federal lawmaker gets to nominate five people from his or her district to each of the service academies.
Cardin?s comments came during a discussion of the academy?s efforts to increase minority enrollment. The board is the federal oversight body of the academy.
But the number of minority applicants, accepted students and graduates does not reflect the number of minority sailors and Marines.
Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler, the academy?s superintendent, created a diversity office two months ago aimed at coordinating the academy?s outreach to prospective minority recruits.
Joe Rubino, the new diversity director, said the academy is trying to make itself more visible to inner-city youth. Recently, midshipmen toured Baltimore distributing college information, and they will perform a similar walk in Annapolis next month.
“We?re talking to the young boys, the woman with a child, people in front of liquor stores,” said 1st-Class Midshipman Kimberly Cook, a member of student groups seeking to expand minority involvement in the academy.
Rubino said education is a major component of recruitment. Many inner-city students lack the education skills to get into the highly competitive academy.
Midshipmen are now tutoring middle school students ? most recently at Bates Middle School in Annapolis ? and emphasizing the importance of excelling in math and science.
“Even if they don?t come to the academy, at least through our efforts those students will be better off,” Rubino said.
Cardin said he would welcome the help.
“Our office could do a stronger job [nominating minorities] if the resources become available,” he said.
