Common Ground Corner

BY LINDA EVANS
Editor, RichmondNow

The University’s admission and financial aid offices are expanding and adding programs to help increase diversity among Richmond’s student body.

While recruiting the 776 first-year students who entered in September 2006, the admission office “assessed the typical criteria that we always look for in students, such as grades, program strengths, etc., but along with those things, paid attention to selecting scholars who would bring some diversity dimension to campus that would enhance their peers, both in and out of the classroom. As a result, we saw an increase in both visual and nonvisual diversity,” said Steve Wilborn, senior associate director of admission.

Their efforts are paying off. Applications from students who bring diverse backgrounds to the University increased as a result of expanded programming and outreach. The percentage of U.S. students of color went from 11.6 to 14.6 percent in a year—the largest percentage in the University’s history, Wilborn said. “There are more African-American students than ever in our history, particularly African-American males.”

The class also saw an increase in international students, from 6.1 percent to 7.4 percent, he said.

The admission staff uses what Wilborn describes as a “holistic review” of applicants. They look not only at transcripts, scores and recommendations but also applicants’ other attributes or what they could bring to the University.

In addition, the admission office has

• increased the number of relationships with partner organizations that work with underrepresented groups from 12 to 16,
• hired an admission officer to focus on Hispanic outreach and began recruiting trips to Puerto Rico,
• expanded the Boomerang Program, in which current students visit their high schools during breaks and talk to guidance counselors about their experience at Richmond,
• planned and will implement this year a program to bring 10–15 students to campus this winter who possess a broad diversity perspective to expose them to areas of their interest, and
• added Africa to the list of continents targeted for recruitment efforts.

The financial aid office also has been reaching out to help increase socio-economic diversity. The office worked with University Communications and the admission office to conduct a series of focus groups to ensure that the message regarding Richmond’s aid programs is understood.

“This resulted in major revisions to financial aid and scholarship publications,” said Cindy Deffenbaugh, director of financial aid.

The financial aid and admission offices also offered travel grants to admitted students who had not yet had the opportunity to visit campus. Financial aid worked closely with first-generation applicants, provided additional grant assistance to students from the 16 partner agencies and initiated a program to provide full tuition, room and board assistance—all in grant funds—to accepted students from Virginia whose family income was $40,000 or less and who qualified for need-based aid.