The University reemphasized its ongoing commitment to improving diversity, an administrator said.

“The overarching goal at the University is to have a student body that reflects the college-bound population in the state of Georgia,” Provost Arnett Mace said Monday.

Mace discussed various statistics relating to the diverse aspects of this year’s freshmen class. Recruitment efforts to increase the diversity of new students have proven successful, he said.

More than 21 percent of new students identify themselves as non-white. The total number of enrolled black students increased by 16 percent, and the number of enrolled Hispanic student increased by 47 percent.

The Office of Institutional Diversity hosted “Embracing Diversity at UGA: Planting the Seed.” The two-hour event at the Chapel addressed the state of the University’s diversity.

After a drum performance by the Korean Traditional Play Association, Cheryl Dozier, associate provost for institutional diversity, discussed initiatives taken by the office to incorporate diversity into all departments and student organizations.

Dawn Bennett-Alexander, associate professor of employment law and legal studies and Cortez Wright, a junior and Lambda Alliance director of finances, referenced the motif of planting a seed of diversity to foster a more accepting environment and prepare students for life after graduation.

Ken Dious, University alumnus and local attorney, and Deborah Dietzler, executive director of the Alumni Association, presented the Black Alumni Scholarship award to Stone Mountain freshmen Monique Campbell and Wendell Scott.

Athletic Association Director Damon Evans also presented two need-based scholarships to freshmen students Johana Elangwe of Milledgeville and Dwayne Haynes of Dallas. All four recipients received $1500.

Dozier challenged the audience to “uproot the seeds of injustice” and replace them with the “seeds of diversity.”