CATEGORY 3: RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

CATEGORY 3: RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

Recommendation 1: Increase the number of BIPOC and other underrepresented student populations at Trinity so that overall numbers look more like Texas and the United States in its demographics

Rationale: Trinity University prides itself on seeking to enroll a diverse class of bright, energetic, and engaged students that will take advantage of our expert faculty, beautiful campus, first-rate resources and opportunities, and a community focused on their undergraduate educational experience. A more diverse student body will strengthen the Trinity community, challenge stereotyped preconceptions, encourage critical thinking, and assist students in learning to communicate effectively with all people. The benefits of diversity in education, especially higher education, stretch far and wide —affecting students’ academic and social experiences, as well as having a direct impact on their future. The positive effects of diversity enable students to work with people from varied backgrounds, experiences, religions, gender identities, disabilities, socioeconomic status and other forms of difference while challenging the views they are accustomed to. This leads to greater awareness, understanding, and acceptance of differing beliefs and customs (Kerby, 2012; Ajinkya, 2012; Gurin, P., Dey, E., Hurtado, S. (2002).

By achieving these types of admission targets, Trinity elevates its accountability for the creation of a more diverse community of learners that resembles the state of Texas and the United States. To implement notable and sustained change, Trinity will build upon and introduce promising practices from the higher education recruitment field.

Stakeholders: Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, Board of Trustees

Recommended Actions

Develop and expand pipeline programs that help elementary-and secondaryschool students of color and other underrepresented populations in San Antonio and surrounding schools systems to get on the path to attend Trinity. Proactively targeting and recruiting from high schools that have large students of color populations; hire current students of color to do some of the recruitment work. Include more alumni of color as volunteers in the recruitment process.

Performance Indicators

Identify target high schools and track number of students that apply and are accepted into Trinity as a first-year student or transfer student Evidence of success using targeted data sets for high schools with high indicators (3%) of students of color who meet the qualifications to apply to Trinity University.

Responsible Person

Vice President for Enrollment Management, Dean of Admissions, Strategic Vice President for Communications

and Marketing Vice President for Enrollment Management, Dean of Admissions, Strategic Vice President for Communications and Marketing, Directorof Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Enhance current partnerships and establish new ones with organizations that prepare students of color for college (e.g., Upward Bound, INROADS, Posse Foundation, KIPP Academy).

Create a Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program that is awarded to upper-class POC students to serve as recruiters in the admissions office and in athletics. Expand the Bridge Program with target populations for STEM major aspirations in underrepresented programs and increase with appropriate staffing. Increase endowed undergraduate scholarship and endowed graduate student fellowship funding for racial/ethnic diversity and other identities of underrepresented students who meet all university requirements for admission and demonstrate a unique need based on an unusual life experience (e.g. homelessness) to the first-year class. Establish an Inclusive Excellence Chair of the Board Scholarship endowment that provides scholarships to entering POC students and a “launch” award to graduating POC students whose academic work supports diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Humanities. Replicate the (UNC-Chapel Hill) Morehead Cain Fellowship program as a model that provides a competitive merit four-year scholarship covering tuition, books, room & board, a laptop computer, and four Increased percentage by 3% ( or other appropriate scale) for student applications from college bound and preparatory programs that target underrepresented groups

Fellow recipients serve in the admissions office and the athletics department as recruiters for the

university Increase the number of Bridge Program participants by 3% annually for the next five years in targeted STEM areas

Award 10 scholarships and 5 fellowships annually

Award 5 endowed scholarships for first-year students and 5 endowed “launch” awards for graduating seniors annually. Award 5 Cain Fellowships annually Vice President for Enrollment Management, Dean of Admissions, Strategic Vice President for Communications and Marketing, Director of Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Vice President for Enrollment Management, Dean of Admissions, Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing, Vice President Academic Affairs, Athletic Director

Vice President Student Life, Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs, Associate Vice President for Divisional Advisory Council in STEM area

President’s Office, Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development, Associate Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Initiatives, Vice President, Student Life, Dean of Students

Executive Board of Trustees, President, Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development, Associate Vice President for Divisional Advisory Council in the Humanities area, Co-Director of

CELCS Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development, President’s Office, Associate Vice President for Academic

summer experiences doing research, internships, or study abroad for POC students.

Require all members of the Admissions team and individuals reviewing application materials and/or interviewing candidates to participate in unconscious bias training on an ongoing basis. Conduct an audit of business processes and identify ways to minimize opportunities for unconscious bias. Increase compositional diversity of the Admissions team. Generate clear organizational structures and processes by which student input is collected, assessed, distributed. Be intentional about fostering studentathlete engagement and morale. All Admissions team personnel demonstrate annual competency with exit assessments on unconscious bias training Report findings with strategies to mitigate inappropriate business practices Established plan for increasing compositional diversity with the admissions team Organizational restructuring or refinement plan for retaining students based on data from students Track student engagement of student athletes by gender, race/ethnicity and other forms of underrepresentation Affairs and Student Initiatives

Human Resources, Vice President Enrollment Management, Dean of

Admissions Human Resources, Vice President Enrollment Management, Dean of

Vice President Enrollment Management, Dean of Admissions, Human Resources

Institutional Research, Vice President Student Life

Director of Athletics, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Director Student Involvement

Suggested Timeline:

● Proposed actions to begin no later than Fall 2021 with the goal of seeing increased diversity in the student body annually with achieved targets reflected as being met by

FY24. ● Retention and Graduation numbers are measured by semester and annually as well and can be disaggregated to ensure the University continues to retain POC and other underrepresented populations.