Successful minority recruitment: asking the right questions is half the battle; going to the source for the answers is the other half. (The Admissions Angle).

This is America: Affirmative action cases play out in our courtrooms while political interest groups hold public debates over the merits of affirmative action policies at our colleges and universities. Meanwhile, the minority students themselves get on with business; they maintain their pursuit of the advanced training and degrees that will provide them with a future of their choosing.

DIVERSITY PROGRAM ISSUES

Even as affirmative action policies are challenged and changed by the courts, virtually all universities continue to voice their determination to build a diverse community of learners, in order to enhance the learning opportunities for all of their students. And the engine that drives the campus diversification policy is an active recruitment program for qualified high school students of color. But what is considered "active" recruitment? And how do minority students themselves weigh the value of diversity recruitment? Given the substantial costs involved in an active minority recruitment policy, there are a number of key issues about affirmative action and minority recruitment currently being examined by college administrators. Following are some of the issues raised among a contingent of professional admissions officers at the leading academic institutions in the Northeast:

How do minority students feel about being singled out? Are they glad that they are finally getting some special treatment, or are they concerned that they are being exploited?

Are minority candidates getting an accurate feel for the reality of the campus, when they attend recruitment programs designed specifically for them? At these targeted programs, there may seem to be a larger number of minority students than the campus might actually have. In fact, minority groups on campus often pool their efforts to develop such a program, yet during the academic year these groups may not actually be that cohesive or mutually supportive.

How much value (in terms of time and cost expended) is there in a high-powered recruitment program? Some programs send college representatives across the country to interview students; create specific marketing pieces that are sent out to large numbers of high school students who identify themselves as a member of a minority group; and cover the expense of bringing a selected group of individuals to campus for several days to meet with students and faculty. What's the return on investment for such programs?

Should Asian students be included in minority recruitment? For the purpose of diversifying a campus through targeted recruitment, many colleges do not consider Asians as minorities. Then again, lines may be arbitrarily drawn, which concerns many admissions officers: For instance, a school may consider only Laotians and Vietnamese as disadvantaged students who merit special consideration. On the other hand, some Asians, particularly the Chinese, are insulted when included in targeted diversity recruitment, because they see these programs as designed specifically for the recruitment of "disadvantaged people."

What about middle-class and wealthier individuals of color? Should they be included in minority recruitment? Many recruitment programs are paid entirely out of a college's funds, and not by the participants. Should a college bear the financial burden for minority individuals who could comfortably afford to visit the campus on their own? In such instances, should the lines drawn be socioeconomic as well as racial?

How should colleges define "minority" or "people of color?" What percentage of color, for instance, qualifies an individual for this special status? Given the increasing rate of interracial marriage in our society, and the various ethnic groups now categorized as Hispanic, delineating minority status for the purpose of diversifying a campus (and thus defining a diversity recruitment program) is no easy task.

What about non-minority students (and parents) who feel that others have an advantage in the admissions process because of their racial/ethnic background? Many college applicants attend racially diverse or mixed high schools, and, as might be expected, they compare their admissions experiences with one another. Often, white students develop a clear sense that they are not as "wanted" by the selective colleges as are their minority peers. Not only are there no all-expense-paid campus-visit programs for them, but they also do not receive the numerous letters, e-mails, and telephone calls from campus students, faculty, and administrators that the minority recruits do. Such students may move from feeling "uninvited" to experiencing downright resentment against the schools with strong diversity programs.

MINORITY STUDENTS SPEAK

To get answers to some of these questions, we posed a number of them to a group of high school seniors who have recently experienced the college admissions process and active minority recruitment. The group included African-American, Hispanic, and Asian young men and women. The following themes emerged in their responses:

The students interviewed were strongly supportive of minority recruiting. As one put it: "It opens doors to those in search of a brighter and more hopeful future."

Minority students soy that their non-minority peers in high school assume they will have an advantage in the admissions process because of their racial/ethnic background. Some peers resent the fact; others encourage their minority friends to seek out opportunities.

Students already part of a selective minority program in high school (e.g., ABC or Prep for Prep) will likely be directed into college-level minority recruitment programs.

Minority students realize they are being recruited by some colleges and not others, which seems fine to them. They say they are still open to the non-recruiting colleges, as long as those schools have the right academic programs and social atmosphere for them.

Financial aid is a key deciding factor in the eventual, cortege choice for many minority students,

Students use viewbooks and Web sites to discover up-front information about the composition of college student bodies.

Students gain motivation from early exposure to college life and minority recruiting.

Minority recruiting weekends and workshops help students to get a real feet for the campus, and to took at colleges they might otherwise ignore.

The students interviewed encouraged colleges to do more to let all minority students know about recruiting on campus: "There are thousands of other minority students as eager and motivated as I am, but they don't have a clue about this concept. There is not enough being done to let students know about minority recruiting, when there absolutely should be."

10 KEY ELEMENTS OF-A-SUCCESSFUL DIVERSITY RECRUITMENT PROGRAM

Following this discussion with students--and keeping in mind the difficult questions about minority recruiting with which admissions officers and administrators are currently grappling--we offer the following 10 keys to a successful recruitment program for an institution that believes in the value of campus diversity:

1. A good financial aid program must back up a good recruitment program.

2. Via college marketing materials, tell students clearly about various minority populations on campus, admission and retention statistics, and financial aid availability. Marketing materials should include viewbooks, the Web site, and mailings.

3. Colleges should identify and motivate potential minority applicants early (as early as freshman year). This includes publicizing recruiting programs.

4. Students appreciate personalized contact such as greeting cards and school visits. The little touches make a big difference.

5. The composition of the faculty may be of special interest to minority students, and colleges should make it easy to learn about academic programs, co-curricular programs, counseling, and advisory resources.

6. Colleges should connect with established and developing high-school-level minority and youth development programs to build enduring bonds and attract strong minority applicants over a number of years.

7. A strong minority presence on campus helps minority recruiting--even if that's a bit of a Catch-22. The take-off point is not dear, but the beginning of building a diverse campus will likely be the most difficult stage, and require the most outreach.

8. Minority recruitment is just the beginning. Retention and graduation are the middle and the end, and that means that colleges need to provide peer mentoring, advising, academic support, and cultural awareness in a welcoming environment for all students.

9. Straight talk and follow-through go a long way. Minority students look for a realistic assessment of campus life.

10. Look for minority students who exhibit the following four attributes (contributed by our student interviewees, already products of successful high school outreach programs): a) Students need to be self-aware, know who they are, and comfortable with themselves, b) They need to have the inner strength to meet the demands of college academic and social life. c) They must enter college with an open mind, not with preconceived notions or biases. d) Students should be as ambitious as they can be, to strive and seek their goats. It is minority students such as these, say the students themselves, who are likely to make a successful transition to college, and ultimately graduate.

Howard Greene and Matthew Greene, independent education consultants (www.greenesguide.com), are the authors of the Greenes' Guides to Educational Planning.