PPP Student Diversity:
A contribution to multicultural gerontological social work

The first cohort of PPP students (2000-2003) was both ethnically diverse and spoke multiple languages, reflecting the diversity of older populations served throughout the U.S.

The PPP students in the first cohort were not only more ethnically diverse than students in MSW programs across the country (CSWE, 2005), but they were slightly more diverse in gender, with more male students and a broader age range.

Diversity characteristics of PPP students (n=323) as compared to the national MSW student population

Characteristics	CSWE	PPP
Age
21-29 30-39 40 or over	65% 18% 16%	51% 27% 22%
Gender
Female	86%	84%
Ethnicity
Caucasian African American Hispanic/Latino Asian American Other	68% 15% 6% 4% 3%	50% 18% 14% 12% 5%