Citing the growing global nature of the world, University President Bryce Jordan addressed the Faculty Senate yesterday and called its diversity requirement efforts "critical."

"Changes we are witnessing as a nation and University have brought us face to face with the responsibility to educate a diverse new generation of students," Jordan said.

After his speech at the beginning of the meeting, Jordan immediately left.

Faculty Senate President Janet Atwood said Jordan's travel plans prevented him from staying longer.

The Faculty Senate is the proper organization to change the curriculum, Jordan said.

But, he added, the "administration is prepared to assist you in any way."

Citing history from the report of the Senate's subcommittee on culture and race diversity, Jordan praised the faculty's concern over the diversity issue and urged it to continue.

"(Diversity in the curriculum) is a matter of urgency and importance . . . it calls for your continued attention," Jordan said.

The University has been involved and must continue to work on diversity issues, Jordan said.

The University's efforts in diversity has included working with minority and economically disadvantaged elementary students and maintaining minority graduate enrollment, Jordan said.

Specifically, the 6.1 percent increase in African-American graduate students is large compared to universities across the nation, he said.

According to the latest figure from the University Board of Trustees, the number of African-American undergraduate students has decreased to 3.5 percent.

Senators and students had mixed reactions to Jordan's speech.

Senator John Cahir, said Jordan helped set the positive tone of the senate discussion.

"When you get past the rhetoric, I didn't hear anything I haven't heard before," said Jeanette Gibson, a member of Academic Diversity Awareness Project. "It shows a tremendous lack of dedication to this issue that (Jordan) left immediately following his opening remarks," Gibson added.

In other business, the senate approved a resolution requesting that final University presidential candidates "be afforded the opportunity to meet with representatives" of the faculty.

Several senators criticized "the timid" nature of the resolution.

In the last presidential search faculty members were not included at all and a much stronger statement must be included, senate member Leonard Berkowitz said.

"Relatively weak as this phraseology is . . . the principle behind it is that (the faculty) would like to be included," senator Peter C. Jurs said.