New Orleans, LA - Universum Communications, a global research and consulting firm, announced the results of The Top 50 Diversity Employers Survey for 2004. Earlier this year, nearly 6,990 minority students at the undergraduate and MBA levels studying at 61 universities across the nation participated in The Universum Survey - American Diversity Edition 2004 - a quantitative survey monitoring the career expectations and employment preferences of the next generation of business, professional, academic and political leaders. The survey findings reveal similarities and vast differences among different ethnic groups when it comes to their experiences of work life after completing undergraduate or graduate school.

The results of the survey determined the ranking of the top 50 preferred employers. The top five on the list are 1. BMW, 2. Coca-Cola, 3. Citigroup, 4. Microsoft, and 5. IBM.

Universum Communications chose THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine for the fourth year in a row to publish its annual survey results for its diversity preference survey. The Employer Preference Survey, The Top 50 Diversity Employers and related diversity oriented information will be published in THE BLACK COLLEGIAN's First Semester Super Issue in October.

According to the diversity survey, the best way for employers to attract minority students is by offering them internships and scholarships while also becoming their mentors. All of these initiatives have positive effects both on attracting minority student to their companies and on influencing the people minority students talk to about their experiences. "Employers that have gained recognition for their commitment to diversity are viewed as employers of choice for both minority and non-minority students because they are generally more progressive and people oriented," said Claudia Tattanelli CEO of Universum Communications, Inc.

"Minority students, first and foremost, are searching for the best places to launch their careers. They have a better comfort level in exploring career opportunities with employers that are known to value diversity and have made a public commitment to creating a more diverse workforce," said Preston J. Edwards, Sr., CEO and Publisher of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine.

The Top 50 Diversity Employers for 2004 are

1. BMW, 2. Coca-Cola, 3. Citigroup, 4. Microsoft, 5. IBM, 6. Goldman Sachs, 7. Johnson & Johnson, 8. McKinsey & Company, 9. Walt Disney, 10. PricewaterhouseCoopers, 11. Deloitte & Touche, 12. Ernst & Young, 13. Bank of America, 14. JPMorganChase, 15. American Express, 16. Merrill Lynch, 17. Amazon.com, 18. Nike, 19. Sony, 20. Pfizer, 21. General Electric, 22. 3M, 23. AOL Time Warner, 24. Morgan Stanley, 25. Boeing, 26. Dell Computer, 27. KPMG, 28. Bain & Company, 29. L'Oréal, 30. Procter & Gamble, 31. Central Intelligence Agency, 32. Intel, 33. Accenture, 34. The Boston Consulting Group, 35. American Airlines, 36. Best Buy, 37. Booz-Allen Hamilton, 38. U.S. Department of State, 39. AT&T, 40. Lehman Brothers, 41. Apple Computer, 42. Lockheed Martin Corporation, 43. The Gap, 44. Hewlett-Packard, 45. Abbott Laboratories, 46. UBS Investment Bank, 47. Bear Stearns, 48. PepsiCo, 49. Merck, and 50. Eli Lilly and Company.