Carmelita Goossen, M.Ed.

she/her

Education: Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education (August 2006)

Master of Science in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University

McNair Project: Effective Methods of Recruiting Minority Students to the KSU College of Agriculture (2003)

Mentor: Larry Erpelding, Ph.D.

Minority recruitment is a major concern in today's colleges of agriculture. This study investigated effective methods of recruiting minority students to the Kansas State University (KSU) College of Agriculture and factors influencing a student's decision to attend or not attend. Two populations were analyzed. The first population consisted of minority undergraduate students currently enrolled in the KSU College of Agriculture, and the second group consisted of minority students who were accepted to the KSU College of Agriculture, but chose not to attend. The results provided a demographic profile on the participants and data on their perceived notions of specific minority recruitment methods. The first population yielded a 21.4% response rate, while the second yielded a 13% response rate. Ninety-three percent who completed the surveys indicated a need for recruiting culturally diverse students to the KSU College of Agriculture. The three most effective methods of recruiting minority students, according to the enrolled population, were: "Scholarships", "Multicultural faculty one-on-one contact with students", and "Pre-college educational on-campus work experience for minority high school leaders." In contrast, both groups agreed "regular email updates from the college" and "video or PowerPoint presentations designed for minority recruitment" were less effective. When comparing the two groups, there was a clear difference in the influence that diversity on campus had on the students' decisions to attend or not attend KSU. "Diversity on campus" was rated higher by the students who did not enroll in KSU's College of Agriculture compared to those who did.