This post was originally published on this site.
Across higher education, the desire for diversity among student populations is usually the responsibility of recruitment efforts but falls short in retention strategies. Colleges typically use a variety of assessments such as standardized tests, essays, and GPA to determine a student’s readiness for life in academia. However, there is an oversight that continues to happen. Many institutions often fail to assess their own readiness to support, nurture, and develop diverse student populations.
When students from diverse backgrounds step onto campus, they are not just seeking a college degree. They are seeking a sense of belonging. They arrive seeking the life setting developmental components outlined by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The needs start with physiological essentials such as food, water, shelter, clothing, and sleep. Unfortunately, many campuses fall short in evaluating whether their food options appropriately cater to diverse ethnic and cultural dietary needs. Students often find themselves struggling to locate familiar foods and essential services like cultural hair care or religious accommodations that support their needs.
It is necessary for institutions of higher learning to recognize that their responsibility extends beyond what takes place in the classroom. Institutions need to offer holistic services that assist diverse student populations. For students to grow emotionally and achieve their academic goals, they must feel affirmed and supported in their cultural identities and personal growth needs as well. This contributes to their overall success and life development.
Also important to this concept is the need for reflective representation. Students benefit tremendously from seeing themselves reflected in the faculty, staff, and student peers who make up the campus community. Diversity in representation not only enriches the educational experience but also provides necessary role models and mentors who understand and can empathize with the unique obstacles faced by students from underrepresented populations.
One of the most common mistakes that institutions make in their efforts to retain students is an overemphasis on tuition scholarships. This approach often neglects to allocate the right resources and necessary strategic planning toward addressing the support needs of diverse student populations. Many of the students are working adults with children who may also be caring for elderly parents while trying to maintain jobs with rigorous work schedules. Scholarships without question assist with financial barriers, but they cannot unilaterally sustain a student’s journey through higher education. It is the institution’s responsibility to ensure long-term success and retention. To do this, colleges must invest in a variety of support services that include academic advising, mentorship programs, counseling services, and inclusive actions that celebrate diversity across the college campus. Also, creating an academic schedule that is amenable to the working adult population is necessary.
While some students may not persist due to financial barriers, that is not always the sole reason for why a student may stop out. Institutions need to consider the overall experience of the student. What is the enrollment process? Are students being serviced in an efficient manner or are they struggling to understand which department to go to next? What is the experience in the classroom? Are they comfortable asking questions? These are critical questions that must be addressed.
The decision to attend college is a transformative journey for a student’s life. This journey will extend far beyond job opportunities and finding a place in the workforce. It is about personal growth, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and the development of becoming a global citizen. For first-generation students and those from diverse backgrounds, the college experience builds confidence and self-esteem. It represents an opportunity not only to gain knowledge but also to develop the appropriate self-concept and belief to become a contributing member of society.
Effective diverse retention strategies must be implemented and used in a manner of inclusive action for the institution. The strategies should also be analyzed and seek student feedback. It is important that the culture is inclusive and creates an environment where diverse student populations feel resilient and enriched by the campus. This is how we can start keeping our students. We know with the history of higher education that dominant voices have been heard. What are we doing to hear the people who just got to the table?
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education,” said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Merrill L Irving Jr. is senior executive of advisory services at Ferrilli.
Dr. Patricia Benson is chief executive officer at CT State Community College Housatonic.