In the last decade there has been a noticeable decrease in the number of minorities recruited and retained in graduate professional education programs for human communication sciences and disorders and in the number of minority members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). A number of causes have contributed to the decline, including (1) financial constraints in the form of limited student loans, new tax laws affecting student aid and tuition increases; (2) visibility of the profession; (3) certification and licensure requirements, such as the National Examination in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology; (4) discrimination against nonnative speakers of English; and (5) lack of minority role models in the field. However, ASHA has taken steps to increase minority recruitment and retention, including conducting studies and publishing reports on minority enrollment, developing booklets, establishing an endowment fund for minority students, and developing recruiting posters and brochures. It is hoped that these efforts and others will slow the current minority brain drain. (Several tables and 11 references are included.) (JC)