Enrollment Planning Team Year End Report 2004-05
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Minority Student Success Action Team
Charge to Action Team
Discussion Topics
Recommendations
Indicators
Future Plans
Charge to Action Team
The Minority Success Action Team was charged in 2004-05 with the following tasks:
- Establish, maintain and annually present a profile of minority students at USCA (to include retention and graduation rates)
- Make recommendations to EPT regarding programs or policies which will enhance the recruitment and retention of minority students
- Document and present information sessions regarding minority students recruitment and retention initiatives
- Make recommendations as to what additional data or information is needed (key data indicators)
Discussion Topics
Identifying the “Minority Student” Population
Overview
Through informal discussions with various USCA offices, it was determined that a uniform definition of the term “minority students” did not exist. The Minority Student Success Action Team, for the purposes of this topic review, determined to operationalize the term as "students of color who identify themselves as African American, African descent, Asian American, Asian descent, Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino American, Hispanic descent, Native American, and Alaskan Native descent.” The Minority Student Success Action Team recognizes that the largest represented group will be African American and although an exhaustive list of all students of color is not possible to include, the groups most represented or most likely to be represented at USCA are included
Data from USCA
- Enrollment of Undergraduate Students (Headcount) by Status Ethnicity
and Gender
(see Indicators, below) - Enrollment of Graduate Students (Headcount) by Status Ethnicity and
Gender
(see Indicators, below) - Majors with greatest percentages of minority student enrollment
(see Indicators, below)
Data from Other Institutions
None provided.
University Support for Minority Students
Overview
While USCA's support for minority students is similar in content to many comparable universities, the general findings were that other institutions offered a larger number of services specifically focused on minority students.
Data from USCA
The University of South Carolina Aiken currently offers the following programs, services, etc. specially focused towards minority students:
| Name of Program, Service, Etc. | Administering USCA Department or Office | Program/Service Description |
| Office of Multicultural Affairs | Student Life and Services |
--- |
| Office of International Programs | Student Life and Services |
--- |
| Minority Achievement Program (MAP) | Multicultural Affairs | Mentoring program for first semester minority freshmen and transfer students |
| African American Students' Alliance (AASA) | Multicultural Affairs | Student organization |
| Compass Leadership Program | Multicultural Affairs | Leadership program wit special focus on minority leadership topics for sophomore, junior, and senior minority students |
| GLOBE (International Club) | International Programs | Student organization |
| International Student Mentor & Orientation | International Programs | Mentoring program for first semester international students |
| Historically African American Sororities and Fraternities | Greek Life | Seven organizations active on campus |
| Scholarship | Financial Aid | One scholarship awarded to a continuing minority USCA student |
Data from Other Institutions
Through comparison of special programs and offerings focused on minority students at other institutions (USC Upstate, Lander, Coastal Carolina, Francis Marion, Winthrop, and South Carolina State), the general findings were that each of the schools offered a larger number of services specifically focused on minority students, each school offered a program that had similarities to USCA’s MAP (Minority Achievement Program), several had minority specified scholarships and specifically focused international student support organizations similar to USCA’s Globe (International Club) organization and new minority students typically attended an additional component of orientation to assist in minority student transitions, USCA's international population was found to be comparable to many comparison schools our size and yet additional support for some students who have English as a 2nd language may need to be addressed. In awareness of the continuing growth of the USCA minority and international student populations and the desire to strengthen and increase special focus programs, the Offices of Multicultural Affairs and International Programs are aware that future staffing needs may have to be reevaluated in order meet these needs.
Campus Climate for Minority Students
Overview
During Spring 2005, the Action Team investigated how minority students perceive the campus climate with two focus groups and a survey. Initial findings indicate that minority students feel the campus atmosphere is positive. While minority students reported having initial anxiety about fitting in and being comfortable in the university community, these feelings disappear after some time on campus.
Data from USCA
Two student focus groups were facilitated by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. A sampling of the student feedback received during these sessions are as follows:
- Happiness that more African American students participated in Student Government elections
- Existence of noticeable difference in number of African American student workers and professional staff in Student Life Office
- City of Aiken is not as welcoming to African American students
- Feeling of acceptance from faculty regardless of race
- Initial feelings of not being comfortable at USCA disappearing since becoming a student due to the positive atmosphere on campus
In conjunction with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, the Action Team designed and administered a survey about the campus climate A total of 84 students completed the Minority Student Campus Climate survey. Of those students completing the survey, 47 identified themselves as African American, and 34 identified themselves as White. Questions requested information on participants feelings of preparation upon coming to USCA, comfort as a student in classes and on campus, experiences with racial conflict and tensions on campus, and level of participation in various campus organizations and academic services. Detailed results are still being analyzed, but initial findings indicate that minority students and white students do not perceive racial problems on campus.
Data from Other Institutions
No data available
Success of Minority Students at USCA
On March 3, 2005, a campus wide Brown Bag Seminar on the topic of “Minority Student Progress and Success” was held. Presenters from Institutional Research, Multicultural Affairs, and Admissions presented the current status of institutional programs and policies and their impact on USCA’s minority populations. Topics of interest addressed where the potential effects of the newly adopted admissions changes (SAT/ACT requirements and class ranking), enrollment and graduations statistics and comparisons, and programs focused on minority populations.
Data from USCA
See the following presentations:
- Profile of Minority Students and Their Success at USCA (Hosch)
- Office of Admissions Presentation on Minority Students (Hendrix)
Data from Other Institutions
No data available.
Recommendations
No formal proposals have been presented due to a desire from the action team to collect and review as much information possible from the University of South Carolina Aiken and from aforementioned comparison schools.
Proposed Recommendations
Potential future recommendations include but are not limited to the following:
- Investigating greater participation from faculty in the Minority Achievement Program (formalized faculty mentoring with minority students, session presentations, etc.)
- Departmental minority issue focus groups to identify needs of minority students.
- Investigate comparison rates of acceptance into USCA professional programs between African American and European American students.
- University consideration of increased minority faculty and professional staff recruitment.
Intended Impact
The intended impact of these proposed recommendations was not provided in the report.
Status of Recommendation as of June 30, 2005
Not applicable.
Envisioned Timeline for Implementation
The Minority Student Success Team is aware that successful implementation and completion of several of these potential future recommendations may take more than one academic year.
Indicators
- Enrollment of Undergraduate Students (Headcount) by Status, Ethnicity, and Gender
- Enrollment of Graduate Students (Headcount) by Status Ethnicity and Gender
- Majors with greatest percentages of minority student enrollment
Template Data
Enrollment of Undergraduate Students (Headcount) by Status, Ethnicity, and Gender
Fall 2004
| Fulltime | Parttime | ||||
| Race/Ethnicity | Male | Female | Male | Female | Total |
| Non-Resident Alien | 35 | 20 | -- | -- | 55 |
| African American | 117 | 449 | 59 | 182 | 807 |
| American Indian/ Alaskan Native | 3 | 5 | -- | 1 | 9 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 9 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 27 |
| Hispanic | 17 | 23 | 3 | 6 | 49 |
| White | 557 | 1001 | 212 | 429 | 2199 |
| Unknown | 33 | 49 | 15 | 25 | 122 |
| Total | 771 | 1556 | 292 | 649 | 3268 |
Enrollment of Graduate Students (Headcount) by Status, Ethnicity, and Gender
Fall 2004
| Fulltime | Parttime | ||||
| Race/Ethnicity | Male | Female | Male | Female | Total |
| Non-Resident Alien | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
| African American | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| American Indian/ Alaskan Native | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1 |
| Hispanic | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| White | 6 | 14 | 15 | 65 | 100 |
| Unknown | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 7 | 19 | 17 | 71 | 114 |
Majors with Greatest Percentages of Minority Student Enrollment
Fall 2004 Undergraduate Majors of Degree-Seeking Students
| Major (only majors with high Black or African American Enrollment Listed) |
White | African American or Black |
||
| N | % | N | % | |
| Sociology | 75 | 43.4 | 87 | 50.3 |
| Education, Secondary | 2 | 50.0 | 2 | 50.0 |
| Political Science | 19 | 47.5 | 16 | 40.0 |
| Interdisciplinary S19tudies | 14 | 60.9 | 8 | 34.8 |
| Nursing (4-yr, RN only) | 42 | 64.6 | 22 | 33.8 |
| Nursing (4-yr) | 236 | 61.3 | 127 | 33.0 |
| Psychology | 80 | 58.8 | 44 | 32.4 |
| Exercise Science | 106 | 63.9 | 48 | 28.9 |
| Math and Computer Science | 45 | 58.4 | 22 | 28.6 |
| Biology | 127 | 64.1 | 53 | 26.8 |
| Communications | 81 | 68.1 | 31 | 26.1 |
| USCA Total | 2,084 | 68.1 | 758 | 24.8 |
Additional Indicators
The MSST has identified the following as indicators to continue to monitor for progress in areas affecting minority students through reviewing comparison rates between minority students and the majority population:
- Admission application numbers, accepted and enrolled
- Retention and graduation rates
- GPA
- Writing portfolio passing grades
- Professional program admission rates
- MSST campus climate yearly survey
- Comparison school programs
- Predicted GPAs of incoming students
- GATEWAY participants
- Housing GPAs
- Fall and Spring Semester focus groups
Plans for July 2005 to June 2006
Note: future plans have been prioritized by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Enrollment Planning Team.
- Provide an annual report that provides a profile of minority
students on campus, to include:
- Admission application numbers and profile, including admission scores, class rank, predicted GPA
- Retention and graduation rates
- GPA distribution by race and gender
- Writing portfolio scores
- Professional program admission rates
- Housing GPAs
- Gateway participants
- Participation in minority-directed programs.
- Provide annual report on initiatives designed to promote 1) minority student recruitment and 2) minority student retention.
- Increase awareness of issues facing minority students.