This year’s percentage of minority freshman is higher than last year’s, which is a sign of progress for the university’s five-year goal.
According to Ball State’s Strategic Plan for 2012-2017, the university aims to have 17 percent of incoming freshmen come from underrepresented populations.
This year, 15.9 percent of incoming freshmen are minorities, said Tom Taylor, vice president of Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications.
That number is up from last year’s 14.5 percent.
Last year’s freshman class also was slightly smaller than this year’s, meaning there was a proportional increase.
“We target high schools with significant minority populations for school visits,” Taylor said. “We start by trying to identify talented, prospective minority students as early as their sophomore year in high school and engaging them in a conversation.”
Taylor said diversity is essential for faculty, as well.
“A diversity of backgrounds and cultures creates a strong and vibrant campus community — having a diverse workforce also helps us in recruiting a diverse student population,” he said.
The plan also mandates the expansion of the McNair Scholarship program from five recipients to 10.
The program is a federally funded initiative awarded to first-generation students and students from “underrepresented segments of society” for graduate school, according to its website.
Aside from financial assistance, the university will have to turn their eye toward campus life to retain the underrepresented recruits for the coming years, said Ro Anne Royer Engle, director of the Multicultural Center.
“It’s the No. 1 thing for students, in regards to not staying at an institution, if they don’t feel like they belong or if they connect,” Engle said. “It’s important to have a variety in regards to student clubs or organizations or programming so people find a space or connection with the institution.”
Beside the different multicultural organizations, the Multicultural Center and the Office of Admissions also provide different Summer Bridge programs to help recruit and retain not only minority students, but incoming freshmen in general.
The Multicultural Center also brings in speakers to talk about diversity, a characteristic that Engle said is not only important to campus, but everywhere.
“I think when you can hear different perspective on issues or topics, it helps you understand your own identity as a person,” she said. “The more you can deal with people who may be different, or who think different, then it helps you think about your own critical thinking.”
The benefits of being exposed to different cultures also carries into careers, Taylor said.
“As Ball State students begin their careers after graduation, they will be working in diverse environments with people from a wide range of backgrounds,” he said. “Working with students from diverse ethnic and geographical backgrounds, including international students, helps prepare our graduates for their careers.”
