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Session 3560

An Institutional Assessment Process in Recruiting, Retention, Orientation and Placement of Minority Students

Dr. Fazil T. Najafi1 & Dr. Nick M. Safai2

1 Professor, Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, University of Florida / 2 Chair/Professor, Engineering Department, Salt Lake City College

Abstract

The paper presents a model that may be used by an institution of higher education (IHS) to enhance its existing graduate minority enrollment. It is essential for any IHS to have a short- and long-range strategic plan. As an essential element of any university’s healthy growth environment, it is important to include diversity in its mission of strategic planning. To achieve the dynamic requirements of diverse growth, it is mandatory to increase the existing graduate minority student enrollment to a specific number by a target year including the existing institutional enrollment trend. The model suggests that a graduate minority program must be established first and should be housed in a graduate school as part of the organizational chart of a university set-up administration. Dedicated and committed efforts are needed throughout the university colleges and departments to actively participate in the implementation of a graduate minority enhancement program through recruitment, retention, orientation and professional development workshops. An effective and workable model is to place such a mission under the university’s overall mission. The university mission will have the ability to continuously deliver productive students to the society. The keep up with diversity, offering of fellowships and financial aid is needed to attract qualified underrepresented social/ethnic groups. Such a mission will be accomplished through vigorous recruitment of top quality graduate students, maintaining and hiring diversified top administrators and staff with faculty engaged in state-of-the-art teaching, research and service. The paper presents steps needed to enhance minority enrollment. Finally, there is a mechanism that will provide feedback from all colleges within the institution for the continuous assessment and improvement of overall programs.

INTRODUCTION

In general, graduate students from minorities, who demonstrate financial need, are still significantly underrepresented in the percentage of doctorates earned, comprising less than five percent of the total PhD population (1). The paper is directed for institutions of higher education

“Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Najafi, F., & Safai, N. (2003, June), An Institutional Assessment Process In Recruiting, Retention, Orientation, And Placement Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--11972