FAU ranked higher for campus diversity in the 2011-2012 school year than it has ever before, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 Best College Rankings released in July.

The university also ranked highest in the state at No. 27 out of 100 in the nation. This ranking is one up from placing No. 28 on the same list last year. Now minority and international students make up more than 45 percent of FAU’s student body.

FAU’s undergraduate student body was 58 percent female, 42 percent male and 48 percent minority last year, according to the Institutional Effectiveness and Analysis center. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Analysis is responsible for providing statistics and data to the university.

Complementing the diversity of our student body is the diversity of its faculty and staff. FAU’s faculty is comprised of more than 30 percent minority races.

Sociology professor Gina Carreno sees this as something that may strengthen the relationship with students and faculty. She believes that FAU’s faculty should somewhat represent the student body with more diverse people of different racial backgrounds.

“It’s much easier to have more empathy and experience for students when you come from some sort of different background,” Carreno said.

FAU President Mary Jane Saunders likes comparing the university with the rest of the country.

“FAU looks like America today, and that’s a wonderful thing for students to have the opportunity to get to go to school and be in class with people with lots of different kinds of backgrounds,” Saunders said.

“We do our best to find role models for students so they can see people that succeed that for one reason or another they think is like them.”