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Diversity efforts make a world of difference

USF admits a freshman class that includes more minorities than the past year. Administrators hope to mirror real life.

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published August 28, 2006

	[Times photo: Ken Helle]
	University of South Florida freshmen Sherhonda Fevrier, left, and Danay Graybill enjoy some free time at the Fresh Food Company in the Argos Building on campus on Sunday. Today, they're likely to be a bit more rushed when classes begin.

TAMPA - University of South Florida administrators have high hopes for the freshman class entering today, and not just in terms of grades.

Aggressive recruitment efforts, including scholarships, statewide mailings and high school visits, have yielded an admitted class that is far more diverse than last year's crop.

There are 23 percent more Asians, 23 percent more African-Americans and 45 percent more Hispanics.

That translates to about 950 more minority students than were admitted in fall 2005, even though a 22 percent hike in applications and higher admissions standards forced officials to be more selective.

"This is so important. Diversity just really makes a huge difference," said USF freshman Rachel Scott, 18, a graduate of East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs.

Scott's family is from Costa Rica but has lived in Oldsmar for about 10 years. She said she chose USF for its medical program, and because she was impressed with the diversity of its students and faculty.

"When you're out there and you're actually working, you're going to come into contact with so many different people," Scott said. "So it helps to have that experience on campus."

USF officials won't know the actual demographics of this year's class until this week, when they find out how many of the admitted students enroll.

"We are sitting in anticipation of how many warm bodies show up," said Leellen Brigman, associate vice president for enrollment planning and management.

USF admitted 11,433 students for this year's summer and fall semesters, including 809 Asians, 1,280 African-Americans and 1,830 Hispanics.

"Every ethnic group increased by at least 23 percent." Brigman said. "That's amazing, frankly. Awesome."

But not all of those students will show up.

Last summer and fall, when administrators admitted nearly 11,000 first-time college students, less than 5,000 actually became USF students.

Data for the spring semester shows that USF's undergraduate student body last year was 13 percent black, 11 percent Hispanic and almost 6 percent Asian.

USF's freshman black enrollment dropped more than 15 percent between 2004 and 2005, fueled largely by a decline in out-of-state minority students. Other Florida universities experienced similar declines.

So this year USF admissions officials concentrated their efforts around the state, casting a wider net in hopes of finding brighter, more diverse applicants.

They sent thousands of recruitment packets to students in 144 Florida high schools that have large percentages of low-income students. Many of their seniors were minorities, the first in their families to even consider college, said J. Robert Spatig, the director of admissions.

They hosted breakfasts with high school guidance counselors in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, the area with the greatest concentration of Hispanic students.

Meanwhile, existing programs like ENLACE, which helps area Hispanic students get into college, continued to deliver a strong crop of students to USF.

The Latino Scholarship Program, a privately funded program in its 15th year, covered tuition and provided mentoring for 40 new Hispanic students and 74 existing ones.

"This is a very conscious effort on our part," said Provost Renu Khator, who is Indian. "We live in a global, multicultural environment, and we owe it to our students to expose them to that."

Spatig said USF's numbers are especially encouraging considering the competition to recruit minority students.

All 11 Florida universities are going after the same pool of bright students, and traditionally Hispanic universities like Florida International in Miami or traditionally black institutions like Florida A&M often have an advantage because of their history.

Meanwhile, Ivy League and historically black institutions like Spelman College and Howard University wine and dine the best of the best.

By convincing those top-notch students to choose USF over other universities, administrators hope to strengthen the school's reputation in Florida and throughout the nation.

The average SAT score for the admitted class is 1135, the same as last fall's freshman class. The GPA is slightly higher, 3.59 compared to last fall's 3.53.

"While we're happy with these numbers, we're by no means finished," Brigman said. "We have a lot of work to do."

Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler can be reached at 813 226-3403 or svansickler@sptimes.com.\

A CHANGING STUDENT BODY

Summer/Fall 2006

Applicants Admits Admission Rate

Asian 1,226 809 66%

Hispanic 3,790 1,830 48%

Black 4,739 1,280 27%

American Indian 95 47 50%

Nonresident alien 426 118 28%

White 11,340 6,935 61%

Unknown 814 414 51%

Total 22,430 11,433 51%

Summer/Fall 2005

Applicants Admits Admission Rate

Asian 938 659 70%

Hispanic 2,417 1,264 52%

Black 3,391 1,041 31%

American Indian 55 37 67%

Nonresident alien 359 176 49%

White 10,583 7,177 68%

Unknown 586 331 56%

Total 18,329 10,685 58%

[Last modified August 28, 2006, 01:50:38]