Slippery Rock University has a commitment to recruit and enroll equity group students through planning and application of university resources in a consistent and effective manner. 

Recruitment of equity group students is a shared goal among all office of admissions staff members.  Each member of the professional staff is expected to participate in the recruitment of all prospective student population groups and deliver the policies, procedures and services of the university in an honest and equitable manner.   

Coordination of planning, strategy development and implementation of recruitment activities targeted to attract and enroll equity group students in particular, is an assigned responsibility of the Assistant Director of Admissions/Coordinator of Minority Recruitment.   

Slippery Rock University seeks to recruit and enroll Pennsylvania residents and a limited number of non-resident students who have demonstrated academic potential for success and the ability to profit from programs and services offered by the university. Slippery Rock University does not maintain a separate set of admissions criteria for minority or equity group prospective students.  All students applying to Slippery Rock on the undergraduate level are considered for regular admission based on the same criteria: 

• Academic performance in high school as evidenced by grades,  class rank,   SAT/ACT test scores and selection of classes.  
• Evidence of good citizenship demonstrated by recommendation letters, extracurricular activities, community service, work  experience, and information presented in an admissions interview. 

Applicants who do not meet regular admission criteria, but who have demonstrated educational or economically disadvantaged backgrounds, are referred to the Director of Academic Support Services for consideration of admission through interview and testing into the university's ACT 101 University Enrichment and Special Services programs.       

In a coordinated effort to increase the enrollment of equity group students at Slippery Rock University, the office of admissions has developed numerous on-going recruitment and informational delivery activities which specifically target ethnic minority students.  These activities have a three-fold purpose:   

• to interest ethnic minority students in continuing their education beyond the high school level; 
• to inform equity group students of the opportunities that are available at Slippery Rock University and the necessary steps to access those opportunities; and
• to guide the completion of the application process and to enroll as many equity group students as possible.   

These activities are designed to make contact and provide information to middle school, high school, transfer and graduate prospective students in an effort to inform them of the opportunities available to them through higher education in general, and Slippery Rock University specifically.   

As presented in this document, the university has established enrollment composition goals which are reasonable to obtain, but which will require significant effort and investment of  both human and economic resources.  We adopt and support the position of the U.S. Office of Civil Rights in establishing goals, "not as quotas" but as important benchmarks and strategies of the university for realistic planning and measuring the success of our progress and effort.   

Slippery Rock University accepts the State System's identified parity goals of 5.59% for African American high school graduates, and 0.28% parity enrollment for Latino students.  Slippery Rock will strive to meet and exceed these goals in its university enrollment.  The higher education enrollment rate of Asians/Pacific Islanders in Pennsylvania is high and well above any other enrollment rate.  Numeric goals for Native Americans are not feasible because of the small numbers of Native American high school graduates in the state.  However, increasing the proportion of Native American enrollment at Slippery Rock will continue to be part of the university plan.   

ENROLLMENT GOALS: 

Based on total student enrollment projections for the next three years, Slippery Rock University will reach and exceed the parity enrollment projections of the State-System when these individual goals are met.  Increases in continuing student rates through application of retention strategies could add to the overall student enrollment levels of minority populations.   

The office of admissions, adopts the following specific enrollment goals for the entering new student classes of 1998, 1999, and 2000.  These enrollment goals include both new freshmen and transfer students in the fall of each year.

1. Enrollment of African-American new freshmen students will be increased 10% each year for fall semesters 1998, 1999 and 2000; new transfer student enrollment will increase 10% in fall 1998, 12% in fall 1999, and 15% in fall 2000.  

2. Enrollment of Latino new freshmen students will be increased 10% each year for fall semesters 1998, 1999 and 2000; new transfer student enrollment will increase 10% in fall 1998, 12% in fall 1999, and 15% in fall 2000. 

3. Enrollment of Asian-American new freshmen students will be increased 10% in fall 1998, 12% in fall 1999, and 15% in fall 2000; new transfer student enrollment will increase 10% in fall 1998, 12% in fall 1999, and 15% in fall 2000. 

4. Enrollment of Native American new freshmen students will be increased 5% each year for fall semesters 1998, 1999 and 2000; new transfer student enrollment will increase 5% in fall 1998, 5% in fall 1999, and 5% in fall 2000.  

Nationally, as well as locally, graduate study programs face serious competition for a very limited pool of minority students seeking graduate education.   SRU's graduate programs are no less committed to increasing the enrollment of minority and equity group students at the graduate program level.  Total graduate program enrollment of minority students at Slippery Rock is represented below:    

These numbers are too small to establish meaningful enrollment target goals by individual population.  Through the use of graduate assistantship awards, the Office of Graduate Studies and Research will continue to make a significant effort to increase the number of minority graduate students enrolled at Slippery Rock University.   

Establishing The Enrollment Goals

Slippery Rock University enrollment goals have been derived from the University enrollment history, projected high school graduation rates in our market area for the future and the University's strong commitment to achieve or exceed the calculated parity enrollment figures.  The following charts represent Slippery Rock University's minority enrollment history for the past six years inclusive of all African American, Latino, Asian American and Native American students:   

NEW RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT 

The office of admissions administers numerous activities in the recruitment process to identify and encourage the enrollment of equity group students.  All activities of the office are available to all student groups without regard to equity group status.

However, specific strategies identified here have proven to be more effective with particular student groups.  As such, recruitment activities designed to inform and attract applications and enrollment from underrepresented populations are both necessary and valuable in their contribution toward achieving university enrollment goals.

To achieve its stated enrollment goals, Slippery Rock University recognizes the need to establish new recruitment strategies and programs to attract and enroll minority students.   The following activities are underway or in the planning stages:

PITTSBURGH PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM   

This program is patterned after the successful Philadelphia Partnership program and is supported in development by the State System of Higher Education.  

PITTSBURGH NEED FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS 

Slippery Rock University Foundation dollars have been invested with the NEED Foundation matching funds to provide scholarships for minority students that replace heavy loan debt; this program will fund several new Slippery Rock University minority students in years to come.  

MARKETING AND ADVERTISING 

The office of admissions has developed a recruitment and advertising budget specifically targeted for use in minority student recruitment.  Additional new monies will be sought to support expanded advertising and recruitment programs.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES 

Community outreach programs will be expanded in 1998 to identify community leaders, public and private organizations and activities which support the educational needs of minority students; both faculty and administrative staff will be sought for involvement with the goal being to deliver educational opportunity information about Slippery Rock University.

REGIONAL RECEPTIONS

Slippery Rock University will plan and host several regional receptions for prospective, applied and admitted students and their parents at local sites in their home area; the focus will be on conversion of interested students to enrollment. 

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

In order to measure the success of our activities, the office of admissions will implement specific assessment measures over the next three years; program effectiveness and ultimate yield of enrollment will be addressed through surveys, interviews and data keeping. 

GRADUATE STUDENT RECRUITMENT

The office of graduate studies will continue to target specific recruitment opportunities for minority students through the use of Graduate Student Fairs and individual campus based programs for graduating college seniors.  Advertising university degree programs will be  investigated through the use of identified college publications, professional journals and placement offices specializing in graduate student listings.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE ARTICULATION

The office of admissions is developing curricular guides with the help of the academic program departments to facilitate ease of transfer student planning; these guides will direct prospective transfer students in planning a schedule to transfer to Slippery Rock early in their academic program. 

INTERNET AND WORLD-WIDE WEB 

Slippery Rock University has developed an Internet program on the WORLD-WIDE WEB.  This program allows students to electronically submit their application to Slippery Rock University.