How Practitioners in Multicultural College Environments Might Foster Change Associated With College Attendance

Derrick S. Evans 793 Mt. Pleasant Rd., Rydal, GA., 30171

An Final Paper Submitted to: Dr. F. Parks of Georgia Southern University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for EDUF 7132

SPRING 2012 Sunday, April 29, 2012 Statesboro, Georgia

How Practitioners in Multicultural College Environments Might Foster Change Associated With College Attendance

Practitioners in colleges and universities are challenged with providing experiences that will encourage attendance by students from a variety of socio economic, ethic, and racial backgrounds. The challenges are made more difficult in times where budgets are cut, costs are rising, and academic preparedness varies based on the preparation a student has before entering college. Oftentimes, colleges and universities focus on recruiting students due to the need for increasing headcount due to funding being based on enrollment numbers. This type of formula funding overshadows the need to help students select a post secondary institution that best suits their needs. The primary offices that deal with these initial challenges are found in the area of Enrollment Services. The function of Enrollment Management has permeated higher education in recent years and managing institutional enrollment overshadows programmatic factors that facilitate student growth and development. Enrollment Services include the functional areas of Recruitment and Admissions, Records (or the Registrar), Financial Aid, and New Student Orientation. There is a silent dotted line between Enrollment Managers and the functions of Academic Affairs and Business Affairs. All three areas have a centralized mission in recruiting and enrolling students that will help the institution meet its financial goals while providing quality educational services to students in a reputable academic environment. Additionally, the functional areas that support the students growth and development are affected by decisions made by the business drivers. Such areas include Student Affairs (more recently referred to as Student Services), Housing, Academic Advising, Counseling and Health Services, and the multifaceted tenants of Students Life that include social experiences ranging from Greek Life to religious identification, and recreational

programs to leadership development. All areas of campus life are affected by the ever changing dynamics of the college and university, and the Enrollment Managers are key stakeholders in manifesting successful change and providing sound business revenue streams for the institution. For the purposes of the paper, the functional areas in Enrollment Services will be explored in relation to the multicultural environments fostered to support student enrollment. The first functional area to be explored will be the area of recruitment followed by the Admissions and Orientation processes. Next, a look at how the Records and Registration functions of the Registrars office will be examined followed by a review of how the Financial Aid offices and process impact student enrollment. Finally, an overview of Student Services will address the impact of post enrollment retention by students and the challenges they face in a multicultural environment. Mention of relevant concepts and theories in student development will explain how the changes associated with college attendance in multicultural environments are perceived from the practitioners point of view. Societal changes, economic concerns, and technological advances have impacted post secondary institutions in recent years in many ways. Focusing on higher education in the state of Georgia provides an ideal case study for this review. Beginning with the inception of the HOPE Scholarship by Governor Zell Millers administration in 1993, student attendance in post secondary education has skyrocketed. The availability of the HOPE Scholarship funding has encouraged many students to seek attending college that would otherwise not consider post secondary education. In many circumstances, college attendance has become an expectation or form of entitlement in the minds of many Georgia families. Unfortunately, this sense of entitlement has not improved the drop out rates, or college success rates of Georgia students.

As more students are recruiting by colleges and universities, the pressure to attend has increased for students. The student receives pressure from parents, teachers, and representatives of colleges and universities, as well as by a shift in societal perceptions about college attendance. Colleges and Universities are pressured by the ever-changing needs of students and the demand to produce revenue that will support the growth demands in both number of students attending and the needs they bring with them to college. Among the most prevalent needs of college students is the need for multicultural environments. For a college or university to be successful in recruiting students, it must be able to address the needs of students. Multicultural environments and programs often have the most significant impact on a students decision to attend a particular institution. According to the text by Pascarella and Terenzini, involvement in a diverse environment with a variety of learning experiences has a unique, positive impact on the general cognitive development of a student and includes development impacts on cognitive thinking, analytical competencies, and thinking complexity. Institutions that can capitalize on providing these environments have a better success rate in attracting and enrolling students. In the recruitment process, students generally begin exploring colleges and universities on a very superficial level. A student first seeks to learn about what an institution offers in ways of programming or what majors are available, costs of attendance, and the aesthetic impact the campus has on their initial review. However, as the student matures and defines their individual needs and expectations, the need for multicultural experiences increases in value during the decision making process. The more salient diversity experiences are typically informal and come from interactions with racially and culturally diverse peers and institution employees that are seen as helpful, friendly, and inclusive (Pascarella and Terenzini, p. 209). More formalized interactions

(workshops and seminars) become more valuable as the student progresses through the enrollment pipeline. It is critical that the institutions recruitment and admissions personnel capitalize on the superficial needs during the sales process yet be able to provide the students with genuine experiences in the maturation to enrollment. Failure to provide and promote multicultural experiences during this phase will have a significant impact on the students decision to attend the college or university. Once the student has decided to attend a particular college or university, other functional areas become vitally important in solidifying the students decision to attend. Financial considerations are particularly important to students and parents alike. The amount of financial assistance is paramount in decision-making, but also can be significantly impactful to students who feel as if they dont belong in a particular institution based on their socio economic status. Financial assistance and counseling must be carefully balanced to address this sensitive topic. Systems and employees that are insensitive or indifferent to their needs can turn off students with or without a need for financial assistance. A positive multicultural experience during this phase of enrollment is vital for students. This is often one of the most sensitive topics for students and most challenging for institutions. Balancing the needs of the student with the business needs of the institution can be paramount in setting the tone for a welcoming environment for the student. The registration process for new students must be easy to maneuver as not to scare away or intimidate students. This is especially true as technology has increased in significance during this phase. The institution must be sensitive to the fact that not all students are comfortable with using new technologies and are still dependent on peer-to-peer support or support from employees. Fostering multicultural experiences and interaction during new student orientation and registration will greatly impact how the student perceives his or her level of acceptance into

the student body. A feeling of accomplishment and inclusion at this point is critical to the students ability to progress and willingness to engage post enrollment. Contrary to what many social scientists and college student success theorists portray, Maslows hierarchy of needs is most relevant basis for establishing welcoming multicultural environments. Once these basic needs are meet, the student may progress in the developmental stages of higher learning. The needs of a student that are addressed during the recruitment and admissions phase often permeate into the more readily studied success of a student in the academic and social arena. Without deeply exploring the functional areas of enrollment services (recruitment, admissions, registration processes and financial assistance), academic and social development cannot occur. Other functional areas that must equally provide multicultural experiences for the student post enrollment include the student housing or resident life departments, student life, and academic advising. These areas must build on the initial experiences of the student that are first introduced in the pre-enrollment, enrollment, and registration phases. Getting the student to progress into the classroom then introduces the next challenge for the institution, as progression and retention become significant areas of study. The authors, Pascarella and Terenzini, discuss how attempts to separate the socialization effects of different institutions from the differences in background characteristics of the students it enrolls can be summarized as a comparison of finding the right fit for the student will generate the desired student success outcomes in the academic realm and provide a sense of community engagement for the student. A wrong fit will increase the likelihood of poor academic performance, withdrawal, failure to engage in campus activities, and the eventual failure to successfully complete a college degree program.

The functional areas that support student engagement outside of the classroom are as significant to the success of a college student as the academic support services and intellectual stimulation provided in the classroom. Student housing plays and extremely important role in student success beginning with meeting basic needs for shelter and a sense of security to fostering relationships that invoke inclusion and provide a sense of belonging. The student will then inherently feel the need to strive for academic success if he or she feels they belong in the environment and it will foster a commitment to the institution throughout the academic career and even into the alumni status. Failure to establish this connection and engagement will lead to a students disengagement academically and socially leading the student to leave the institution be either means of failure (dismissal, expulsion, or probation) or by transferring to another college or university that they can feel a connection and sense of belonging. The multicultural experiences that foster belonging and establishes relationship is vital to all students regardless of their racial or ethnic identity. Minority students want to feel accepted, understood, appreciated, and welcomed just as white students do. White, or non-minority, students want to be accepted, understood, appreciated, and welcomed just as a minority student would without being made ashamed of their perceived white privilege. Multicultural experiences must be offered that address needs of both the minority and non-minority students and foster inclusion and engagement for all. These experiences are introduced to students by the functional areas they first engage with in pre-enrollment and are continually built upon by each area as they progress through the enrollment process into the classroom, housing environment, and in the clubs and organizations they participate with during their tenure in the institution. In conclusion, colleges and universities in Georgia should transition their focus from enrollment growth to providing educational experiences that will best serve the needs of the

students, industry, and the changing demographical make up of the state. Growth for the sake of growth needs to be countered with an emphasis to create a more engaged and prepared workforce. That begins by introducing students to a multicultural world and teaching them how to be members of a multicultural society as well as academically prepared to enter the workforce. My reflections expressed in this exercise are based on my experience with working as a faculty member and administrator in the technical college system as well as being a student in the technical college system, at a two-year college, and a major university within the state of Georgia. Students need to be introduced to the concept of a multifaceted educational structure that includes technical education as well as liberal arts. Not all students will be successful in the liberal arts or technology fields offered at four-year colleges and universities. Many students will find that a two-year community or technical college is the best option or can serve as a starting point to help them socially and academically prepare to transition into a four-year program. Functional area administrators are instrumental in facilitating this type of awareness and fostering a support structure to help students finds the best fit institution for their needs and not focus on enrollment growth and marketplace competition.

References Pascarella, E. T. & Terenzini, P. (2005). How college affects students. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.