Establishing Sincere and Meaningful Family Relationships when Recruiting and Retaining Students of Color

Christopher BriggsValentina De La Fe

Purpose

• Understand the importance of family relationships

• Sharing creative solutions to recruit minority populations

• Develop comfort with unorthodox approaches

Our Background

• STEM Institution• High achieving student population• Small pool of minority student

applications• Lots of competition for these students• Limited financial aid packages• Fundamental roles in recruitment and

academic support

Why is Abuela so Important?• 37% of minority students indicate family and parents are most influential

in their 1st year success• Students with more familial ties have more academic success

• Family members need to have a trusting relationship with the school• “Moving from parent to partner”

• Empowering families to be another resource for students during their college search process and first year transition

• Colleges should educate parents about the unique stressors students will face

• Parents set academic goals and expectations for their students• Current student success translates into recruitment messaging

Direct Recruitment Efforts• Different viewbooks for targeted populations• Personalized family invitations to visit campus• Open house and yield programs highlighting minority student

communities on campus• Chat night and calling campaigns

• Current students calling students• Alumni calling parents

• Student recruitment teams• Trained to meet with students and parents

Indirect Recruitment Efforts• Campus Partners

• Seasonal meetings to keep campus partners invested and informed• Connections with students who are successful at GT not just an info

session• Parents want to know- “How can my son/daughter thrive in this environment?”

• Connecting key campus individuals with families based on specific needs• Students, staff, faculty, deans• Identify key people on campus that make an impact

• Creative communications• Text messaging• Social media• Unscripted student correspondence

• Personalized campus visit days

Indirect Recruitment Efforts• Campus Partners

• Seasonal meetings to keep campus partners invested and informed• Connections with students who are successful at GT not just an info

session• Parents want to know- “How can my son/daughter thrive in this environment?”

• Connecting key campus individuals with families based on specific needs• Students, staff, faculty, deans• Identify key people on campus that make an impact

• Creative communications• Text messaging• Social media• Unscripted student correspondence

• Personalized campus visit days

Cultural Competency• Individualized approach with each student

• These are not homogeneous groups• Members of these demographics should also acknowledge

misconceptions • Institutions must identify unique challenges facing minority populations

on their campus• Will also equal unique solutions per each campus

• Responsibility of minority student recruitment does not fall solely to minority student recruiters

Campus Recruitment Partners

• Academic advising• Schools and colleges• Student life offices• Housing• Community outreach

offices• Alumni organizations• Any office families want

information from!

Recruitment to Graduation

• Although minority student enrollment is at an all-time high it still trails that of white students

• Students face unique challenges at every school

• Academic adjustment• Institutional adjustment• Personal-emotional

adjustment• Social adjustment

Not Helicopter Parents!• Parents of minority students who maintain familial ties find more success

(especially at PWIs)• Parental academic goals and encouragement towards success• Emotional support• Social support• Emphasis that education is valuable

• When parents are informed of their child’s academic progress and participate in university activities, students show greater levels of confidence and motivation

What About FERPA?• Every attempt should be made to include parents in retention and

academic efforts while keeping students in contact with faculty and staff• Colleges provide academic support• Parents provide emotional support

• How can parents help students with unique challenges• Create an inviting community and campus culture

• Special programming at welcoming weekends• Continuous contact with family members

• Formal and informal• Invite parents to celebrate student success

What’s Happening in Atlanta?Recruitment Practices

• Individualized student meetings• Personalized visit days• Intentional connections• Familial and communal language in

publications• Established personal relationships• Recruiting families along with students• Building trusting relationship between

school and family to last beyond recruitment

What’s Happening in Atlanta?Retention Efforts

• Involved in recruitment• OMED and Challenge program• Parental integration in academic

support network• Address parental concerns• Family involvement when celebrating

student academic success• Intrusive advising approach for

continuous interaction

Other Considerations• Family relationships must be institutional effort towards minority students

• Many minority students are first-generation students

• Relationship of trust is both recruitment and retention philosophy

• Parents are partners!

• Unique approaches for every institution

Questions?

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