N.C. State Dean Counsels VGCC On Recruitment of Minority Students
An assistant dean of the N.C. State University Engineering School shared ideas for recruiting and retention of minority students with Vance-Granville Community College faculty and staff April 12.
Dr. Tony L. Mitchell, assistant dean of Engineering Student Services, director of Minority Engineering Services and associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NCSU, conducted a workshop for more than 50 VGCC faculty and staff members. This was one in a series of professional development workshops being conducted at the college.
VGCC President Randy Parker said one of the major initiatives for the next few years is to recruit and retain African-American male students. “We have seen a 20 percent decline in this student population over the last few years, which is a national trend,” Parker said. He added that one of the college’s goals is to develop strategies to help turn this trend around for VGCC.
Dr. Mitchell told workshop attendees that N.C. State’s Engineering School ranks fifth in the nation in graduating African-Americans. He related several recruiting and retention strategies that he and his staff have developed and implemented to reach that high ranking.
Mitchell also spoke about the National Science Foundation’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Talent Expansion Program (STEP), which is a collaborative effort of engineering schools and community colleges to increase the number of engineering students nationwide. “In the future, more students at university engineering schools will come from community colleges,” he said.
In the second half of the workshop, Dr. Mitchell concentrated on what Vance-Granville can do to improve its recruitment and retention of minority students. “You need to be interactive, to emphasize to your potential students what VGCC is and what it can do for students,” he said. “You have to make a real commitment to this effort, and you should set measurable, specific goals.”
Dr. Mitchell asked attendees why African-American students and other minorities should attend VGCC. Among the answers he received were the excellent, credentialed faculty of the school, VGCC’s ranking as number one among state community colleges in preparing students for transfer to four-year schools, and the easy access to campuses in all four counties served by the college.
“Emphasize your strong points and let everyone know the good education and training they can receive at Vance-Granville,” Dr. Mitchell said.
On retention, Mitchell suggested surveying students who leave to find out why they are not completing their studies. He recommended seeking out the middle-level students, not just the high achievers, and to celebrate and promote their educational accomplishments.
President Parker said that Vance-Granville has a committee working on recruitment and retention, and it will utilize strategies learned at Dr. Mitchell’s workshop to help formulate a plan to accomplish the college’s goals in this area.
TALKING RECRUITMENT
– Dr. Tony Mitchell of N.C. State discusses minority recruiting and retention with Peter Hernandez, Vance-Granville Community College’s coordinator of Hispanic Services, during a break in Dr. Mitchell’s workshop for VGCC faculty and staff April 12. (VGCC Photo)
