Why is it that among students with comparable socio-economic backgrounds, SAT scores and high school records, black and Latinos tend to perform worse in college than whites and Asians? What role do college contexts play in perpetuating these achievement gaps, and what needs to be done to close the gaps? These hot-button issues fuel the agenda of "Closing the Minority Achievement Gap in Higher Education," a conference, Oct. 2-3, co-sponsored by Cornell, the Teagle Foundation and Credit Suisse, at 11 Madison Ave. in New York City.

"The minority performance gap in higher education is a sensitive topic that needs to be faced frankly," said Cornell President David Skorton, who will be speaking at the event. "I am proud that Cornell, along with the Teagle Foundation and Credit Suisse, has helped create a much-needed opportunity for a variety of stakeholders to boldly confront the myriad factors that surround this complex issue."

The conference will build upon the Teagle Foundation report, "Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in College Completion and Achievement: What Works and Why," released in November 2006. For more information about the report, go to http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Oct06/Teagle.Fdtn.html.

With leaders in education, business and public policy attending, the conference will begin on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 2, with a keynote address by University of Maryland-Baltimore County President Freeman Hrabowski III, a nationally recognized leader in addressing the minority achievement gap in higher education. On Oct. 3, a series of working sessions will examine the 14 diversity programs that were identified as particularly promising by the Teagle report, the role such programs might play in closing the performance gap and the importance of ongoing assessment.

The Teagle Foundation was established in 1944 by Walter C. Teagle (Cornell Class of 1899), longtime president and later chairman of the board of Standard Oil Co. (New Jersey), now Exxon Mobil Corp. The foundation provides leadership for liberal education, awarding scholarships, grants and other support to colleges and universities.