The LSU Office of Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach and the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association hosted LSU’s first Graduate Diversity Preview this spring to recruit potential graduate students from historically black colleges and universities in Louisiana and Mississippi.

LSU Elevates Diversity Agenda through University Partnerships and Proactive Graduate School Recruitment

Although higher education in Louisiana has been severely impacted by state budget cuts and fluctuating returns on investment, LSU is staying the course with its academic and diversity agenda. The LSU Office of Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach, or EDCO, and the Graduate School have begun a comprehensive plan to diversify graduate education at the university.

This spring, EDCO and the Graduate School, with assistance from the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association, or BGPSA, hosted its first regional LSU Graduate Diversity Preview with students from Dillard University, Grambling State University, Jackson State University, Southern University and Xavier University of Louisiana. This marked the second preview hosted by LSU, expanding on the first preview held in Fall 2009 when the university hosted Xavier University.

"This sort of event, and form of relationship building with minority-serving institutions, can only serve to make LSU an even more academically competitive and dynamic institution," said Marco Barker, assistant to the vice provost and director of educational equity for EDCO and preview coordinator. "The preview was a magnificent way for LSU to showcase the campus, faculty and staff, while being financially conscious of the cost associated with having to visit each institution in the spring."

During the Graduate Diversity Preview, students, faculty and staff advisors had the opportunity to visit with academic deans and program coordinators; attend a professional development seminar and graduate school workshop; tour the campus; have lunch with Katrice Albert, vice provost for EDCO, and David Constant, dean of the Graduate School; and attend the BGPSA Open House, where they heard from Isaiah Warner, vice chancellor for Strategic Initiatives, and a panel of graduate and professional students. Participating students represented their universities' honors colleges, McNair programs, and graduate and career placement offices.

"Not only will we bring more students to campus, but we will reach out to the students at their home campuses. We will also involve individual LSU departments in an aggressive effort to visit more regional campuses and talk to their best students one-on-one," said Constant.

The Flagship Agenda 2010 and proposed Flagship Agenda 2020 call for an increase in the number of diverse students and an increase in the amount and level of knowledge generated by the university, which places focus on graduate education.

"The Graduate School is working with EDCO and other LSU offices to create a sustainable plan to recruit top students from under-represented groups," according to Malcolm Richardson, associate dean of the Graduate School. "We intend to make events such as the LSU Graduate Diversity Preview and other recruiting days regularly scheduled events each year. Equally important, we will work on retaining these students to the completion of their degrees, an area often overlooked."

EDCO and the Graduate School are currently discussing short- and long-term diversity plans, which will address the recruitment, retention and completion rate of graduate students from underrepresented populations, and the overall graduate school experience for all students. One critical component of this plan will include greater outreach to and collaboration with historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs; Hispanic-serving institutions, or HSUs; and Native American serving institutions or tribal colleges. Although the university has begun forming relationships through research and academic programs, there is still a need for LSU to form direct relationships with these institutions.

"Hosting students from HBCUs, HSUs and Native American serving institutions is the 'gateway' to encourage scholars from diverse backgrounds to seek graduate education at LSU," said Albert. "This cooperative endeavor will certainly create a collective impact on expanding graduate educational options for these minority scholars. Continued collaborations with these institutions not only reduce institutional isolation, but also demonstrate a bona fide commitment to graduate pipeline success."

The LSU preview also offered Grambling State University other experiences. High school students from Grambling were hosted by Niya Blair, coordinator for African-American student affairs in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and had the opportunity to meet students from the Black Alumni Student Ambassadors and the Black Male Leadership Initiative, attend an admissions workshop, tour the campus, visit the LSU Dairy Store, meet Mike the Tiger and have a follow-up workshop with Blair. These high school students were part of the Grambling State University Honors College mentoring program.

Following the LSU preview, the Grambling honors college students and high school students attended a viewing of the film "Food, Inc.," and participated in a community service and garden beautification project at homes along Oklahoma Street in Old South Baton Rouge. LSU's Community University Partnership Community Affairs Liaison Brandon Smith coordinated the film viewing, shown courtesy of Slow Food Baton Rouge, a local non-profit organization that links food with a commitment to community and the environment, and the community service project, sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation Center for Planning Excellence, the LSU Hilltop Arboretum and Albemarle Corporation.

"The preview day received rave reviews from the attendees," said Barker. "Prior to the Graduate Diversity Preview, most participants indicated on their surveys that they were 'less than likely' to attend LSU. After the preview, students were 'more than likely' to attend, which represented that LSU was in their top three choices for graduate studies. These reviews indicate that LSU is moving in the right direction."

For more information regarding LSU Graduate Diversity Preview or other diversity efforts, please contact Barker at diversity@lsu.edu or visit http://www.lsu.edu/diversity. For questions regarding graduate school admissions and programs, please contact the LSU Graduate School at 225-578-3885 or e-mail graddeanoffice@lsu.edu.

Melissa Foley | Editor | Office of Communications & University Relations
June 2010