Recruiting Students of Color and Their Impact in Grad Programs

1. RECRUITING STUDENTS OF
COLOR AND THEIR IMPACT
IN GRADUATE PROGRAMS
PRESENTED BY:
SEAN GUINYARD, M.ED (UNIVERSITY OF NORTH
TEXAS) &
JOHN E. SMITH, JR., ED.D (UNIVERSITY OF
HOUSTON)

2. OUTLINE
• INTRODUCTION
• BARRIERS THAT HOLD BLACKS FROM PURSUING GRADUATE
SCHOOL
• STATISTICS ON THE SUCCESS OF BLACK GRADUATE STUDENTS
• BEST PRACTICES TO ENSURE ACADEMIC SUCCESS
• GROUP DISCUSSION
• QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

3. HOW DID WE GET HERE?
• MINORITIES ARE USUALLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN
GRADUATE PROGRAMS OFFERED BY MOST COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES.
• THE CGS REPORT REVEALS THAT MINORITIES
CONTINUE TO LAG THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS IN
GRADUATE DEGREE ATTAINMENT. (2018)
• AMONG ALL U.S. CITIZENS, UNDERREPRESENTED
GROUPS EARNED JUST 12 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL
RESEARCH DOCTORATES AWARDED IN 2016 AND
ONLY 10 PERCENT OF THE RESEARCH DOCTORATES
AWARDED IN STEM FIELDS. (2018)

4. CHALLENGES AND OBSTACLES
• LARGE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
POPULATION
• DOMESTIC STUDENT POPULATION
SHRINKING
• FACULTY DESIRE TO EDUCATE SCHOLARS;
LESS INTEREST IN WORKFORCE PREPARATION

5. NUMBERS DON’T LIE
• AFRICAN-AMERICAN GRE SCORES ARE LOWEST AMONGST ALL ETHNICITIES
• HISPANIC/LATINO GRE SCORES ARE SECOND LOWEST AMONGST ALL ETHNICITIES

6. GRE SCORES BY ETHNICITY/RACIAL GROUPS

7. MEAN COMBINED SCORE ON VERBAL AND QUANTITATIVE SECTIONS OF
GRE BY RACE AND MAJOR OF STUDY (ETS, 2017)
Field of Graduate
Study
Black Score White Score Black/White Gap
Engineering 1033 1220 187
Life Sciences 843 1039 196
Education 773 977 204
Humanities and
Arts
888 1119 231
Business 794 1031 237
Social Sciences 825 1063 238
National Average 821 1062 241
Other Fields 790 1036 246
Physical Sciences 961 1208 247

8. DEMOGRAPHICS AMONGST BLACK STUDENTS
• MEN
• WOMEN
• OUT OF STATE STUDENTS
• INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
• FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS
• TRANSFER STUDENTS
• NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS
• DISABLED STUDENTS
• LBGTQ STUDENTS
• PART-TIME STUDENT/ FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE
• STUDENT ATHLETES

9. BARRIERS BEFORE COLLEGE
BANKING CONCEPT OF EDUCATION
• LOW MOTIVATION
• INSUFFICIENT ACADEMIC EFFORT
• FIXED MINDSETS
• LOW CLASSROOM-OUT-OF-CLASS ENGAGEMENT

10. BARRIERS BEFORE COLLEGE
PARENTAL INFLUENCE
• THE LEVEL OF IMPORTANCE THE PARENT EXPRESSES IN GOING COLLEGE
• WHAT IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SCHOOLING THAT THEY HAVE?
• HOW MUCH CAN THEY HELP FINANCIALLY?

11. BARRIERS IN COLLEGE
NOT KNOWING THE BENEFITS OF GRADUATE SCHOOL
• A GRADUATE DEGREE CAN SEPARATE THEM FROM THEIR COMPETITION
• TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS GAINED
• MORE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

12. BARRIERS IN COLLEGE
THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE GRADUATE APPLICATION PROCESS
• WHEN THEY SHOULD START LOOKING FOR GRADUATE PROGRAMS TO APPLY TO?
• WHAT DOCUMENTS NEED TO BE SUBMITTED FOR THE APPLICATION?

13. BARRIERS IN COLLEGE
THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE MONEY/ FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED
• BLACK UNDERGRADUATES OWED 15 PERCENT MORE THAN OTHER STUDENTS
AFTER GRADUATION : AN AVERAGE OF $34,010 COMPARED TO 29,669 FOR ALL
STUDENTS
• 1/3 OF BLACK STUDENTS ACCUMULATED MORE THAN $40,000 IN DEBT AFTER
GRADUATION COMPARED TO 18% OF STUDENTS OVERALL
• HALF OF BLACK STUDENTS PURSUING DOCTORATES IN FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES
HAVE AN AVERAGE DEBT BURDEN OF $128,000

14. BARRIERS IN COLLEGE
RACIAL COMPOSITION OF FACULTY/ STAFF MEMBERS
• HAS NOT CAUGHT UP TO THE DIVERSE STUDENT BODY
• 1/5 FACULTY/STAFF MEMBERS ARE STUDENTS OF COLOR

15. BEST PRACTICES
• FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
• OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ABOUT GRAD
SCHOOL APPLICATION PROCESS
• COLLABORATING WITH OFFICES/ DEPARTMENTS ON CAMPUS
• BEING INVOLVED WITH PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS GEARED TOWARDS
BLACK COMMUNITY

16. GROUP DISCUSSION
• HOW CAN WE PREPARE THEM FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL?
• DOES YOUR DEPARTMENT DO ANY RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES GEARED
TOWARDS STUDENTS OF COLOR? IF SO, WHAT DOES THIS PROCESS LOOK LIKE?
• SHOULD RACE/ETHNICITY BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION FOR THE GAP, WHY
OR WHY NOT?

17. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS

18. CONTACT INFORMATION
SEAN GUINYARD,
M.ED
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH
TEXAS
TOULOUSE GRADUATE
SCHOOL
GRADUATE ADMISSIONS
RECRUITER
SEAN.GUINYARD@UNT.ED
U
JOHN E. SMITH, JR., ED.D
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
DIRECTOR - GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS
JESMITH4@UH.EDU