Missouri would likely be alone with 10 percent black faculty

If the University of Missouri succeeds in meeting a student demand for a faculty that’s 10 percent black in two years, it will likely be alone among its peers.

An Associated Press analysis of 2013 federal data found that no state’s “flagship” public university campus had a black faculty population approaching that level, and only a handful topped even the 5 percent mark.

The data shows the norm on most of the campuses is a faculty that’s between 2 percent and 4 percent black.

Administrators say they’re well aware that staff and student bodies often don’t match, and some systems, including the State University of New York, have launched initiatives to try to change that.

Students say they learn better from instructors who seem to understand them and their experiences.