Florida Atlantic University ranks 32nd among the top 100 schools nationwide for producing bachelor’s degrees for minorities, according to a recent survey by Diversity, a national magazine that focuses on trends in the education of minorities.

Over 4,000 degrees were earned last year; for every five bachelor’s given out, two went to minorities, but the benefits of campus diversity reach more than just the minority students graduating.

This is a great recognition for a university that “takes special pride in the diversity of its student body,” University President Frank Brogan writes in a letter on the FAU Web site.

Beyond that, however, “Southeast Florida is one of the most diverse areas in the country…many different cultures live and work in the area,” Chief Academic Officer Provost John Pritchett says. “It’s important to have contact with these cultures because we will work with them every day.”

Although FAU trails four other Florida universities in minority head counts, the percentage of minority students at FAU is actually higher than all of them except Florida International University. FIU is a different case, however. Located in Miami, a heavily populated Hispanic area, 57 percent of FIU’s grads are Hispanic, making them a majority at the school.

But why is this so important to anyone except the minority students graduating? The answer is the same across the board from students to administrators.

“It brings people from different backgrounds together to learn about each other’s culture,” freshman Virginia Augustin says.

“If a group is similar you tend not to recognize difference and concerns of other groups,” Vice President of Student Affairs Charles Brown says.

Student Body President Tony Teixeira explains, “Diversity helps the way we look at our surroundings.”

A lack of diversity can actually have negative consequence. “Anyone who looks alike tends to think alike,” Provost Pritchett explains.

The similar thought process of similar peoples can lead to a concept known as “groupthink,” in which a group of cohesive individuals lead by respected, possibly similar, leaders face “major dysfunctions” in the decision-making process, Mark Peterson, a management professor, explains.

Peterson says groupthink has been a major part of disasters, like the Bay of Pigs, because groups tend to suffer from a fear of raising apparent problems because of an illusion of unanimity.

Perhaps with 4,140 degree-granting institutions in the United States and over 1 million degrees given out in 2003, being 32nd might be more than just a ranking.

Brown says, “FAU as a diverse institution builds communication skills, mediation skills and helps people deal with others in the world around us.”