RECRUITMENT: Answering the Call; Edinboro's Blueprint for Hispanic Recruitment

• Published in: The Hispanic outlook in higher education 1999-03, Vol.9 (13), p.20
• Main Authors: Kiel, Jerry, Ohler, Denise L
• Format: Magazinearticle
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Career Counseling; Career Planning; Colleges & universities; Culture; Education; Educational Quality; Higher education; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic people; Kiel, Jerry; Minority & ethnic groups; Ohler, Denise; Velez, Wilfredo
• ISSN: 1054-2337; 2471-6448

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, the only public higher education institution in the northwestern region of the state, recognized the urgency of the issues and desire to increase its Hispanic enrollment. In the 1996 fall semester, it enrolled 46 Hispanic students, representing only .006 percent of total enrollment. Given the growing population base of 10,000 Hispanics in Erie County, where Edinboro is located, the institution believed that it could encourage more applications from this population by establishing an effective summer bridge program. Edinboro University had experienced success with other bridge programs of longer duration for disadvantaged students, but hoped that this one would be more intensive and family-oriented. Each year, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education helps support a statewide congress of Latino/Hispanic youth. Several years ago, when the event was held in Erie, members of the chancellor's staff who attended came away deeply impressed with the individuals and the interest in higher education they had encountered. They subsequently mentioned to senior officers that Edinboro might be able to play a pivotal role in attracting Latino/Hispanic youth from around the state. The proposal was developed to begin that task of building a larger cohort of Hispanic/Latino young people on the Edinboro campus. Dr. Jerry Kiel, associate vice president for enrollment management and retention, and Dr. Denise Ohler, associate dean for Enrollment Management and Retention and also director of Career Services, were especially interested in creating this program, both to enhance the diversity of Edinboro's student population and to make the option of higher education a realistic possibility for Latino youth. "Edinboro University provides a close-knit, family-oriented environment," said Kiel. "As such, we feel it is the perfect place to serve as the focal point for the development of the Latino youth in northwest Pennsylvania and, indeed, throughout the Commonwealth."