Give CG Academy chance to improve diversity

It certainly caught our attention recently when Rep. Joe Courtney, the Democrat representing our 2nd District, was the lone congressman from Connecticut to vote against the $10 billion fiscal 2010 Coast Guard Authorization Act. In fact, Rep. Courtney was just one of 11 congressmen in the country to vote against the bill.

Strange behavior, it would seem, for a congressman whose district is home to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London.

But it turns out Rep. Courtney had his reasons, and good ones.

An amendment to the bill calls for changing the academy admission process. The academy administration opposes the changes and so, too, did the congressman - enough to persuade him to vote against the legislation. We think he is on the right side of this issue.

If enacted into law, the legislation would end the academy's long history of a strictly merit-based application process and replace it with a hybrid system that would require half of the student body to be enrolled through congressional nominations by 2015, as with the other military academies.

Elijah E. Cummings, a Maryland Democrat and chairman of the Coast Guard Subcommittee, is leading the charge for change. His intent is a good one - to increase minority enrollment among academy cadets. His argument is that, by allowing congressional offices to solicit and make nominations, more students from underrepresented minorities can obtain appointments.

The question we raise is, why now? The academy administration has an initiative in place to try to bolster the number of students from minority groups. The administration is targeting such students through mailings, advertising on college Web sites, and more aggressive recruiting in regions with high minority populations.

Compared to a year ago, inquiries to the academy by minority students are up 40 percent to 1,800. Online applications from minority students are up 34 percent, to 317, according to Rep. Courtney's office. The academy's strategic plan to improve diversity calls for achieving 20 percent to 25 percent representation by underrepresented minorities by 2015, and in faculty and staff by 2020.

Why not give the plan a chance before abandoning the academy's long tradition of navigating clear of political appointments in favor of individual applications and merit? The academy's success in attracting women to the school proves it can make great strides when it focuses on an issue. Of the total corps of cadets, 27 percent are women, outranking the other academies.

There is also no guarantee congressional nominations will boost diversity. The Merchant Marine Academy, the nearest institution in size and mission, had an average minority representation of 11.9 percent between 2003 and 2007, despite congressional nominations. During the same period the Coast Guard Academy had minority representation of 13.9 percent.

Is greater diversity desirable and achievable? Absolutely. West Point has a diversity rate of 24 percent, the Air Force Academy 23 percent and Naval Academy at Annapolis 35 percent. But that does not mean congressional nominations are the only way, or even the best way, to generate diversity in the ranks.

It appears likely, however, that the legislation will win final approval in the Senate with the congressional nomination requirement in place.

But even if Rep. Courtney does not emerge on the victorious side of this issue, his position was a principled one. For that he deserves credit.