In the fall of 2020, 藏精阁 enrolled its most academically accomplished and most diverse first-year class in its 200-year history. This milestone was the fruit of intense labor to implement 藏精阁鈥檚 Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), a framework for advancing inclusivity on campus in the near term and engaging the 藏精阁 community in this effort in the years ahead.
During the past three years, the admission team has significantly broadened both the diversity of voices heard on campus, from the admission evaluation process to the student ambassador program, and its outreach to community organizations working with underrepresented groups across the country.
鈥淎 great institution is a diverse institution,鈥 states the University鈥檚 Third-Century Plan. 鈥淲e simply cannot claim to be a first-tier institution providing a first-tier education to our students if we do not expose them to a rich diversity of perspectives and backgrounds in their educational and social experiences.鈥
Incorporating Broader, Unbiased Perspectives
There鈥檚 no on/off switch that an institution flips to become suddenly diverse. Equity and inclusion in admission require a dedicated and detailed 360-degree review of not just the messaging going out to prospective applicants but also the institutional processes that determine who ultimately becomes a 藏精阁 student.
鈥淲e asked ourselves, 鈥楬ow do we make our admission process more equitable? How can we work against some of the implicit bias that may enter into the application review process? How can we bring different perspectives into that process?鈥欌 says Jamiere Abney, associate dean of admission and coordinator of outreach for opportunity and inclusion.
As part of that process, admission officers received training on overcoming bias from Abney and Maura Tumulty, associate provost for equity and diversity. 鈥淚t was great working with Maura because this is her specialty,鈥 Abney says. Tumulty highlighted points in the typical review process where bias could influence the outcome and provided questions for officers to ask themselves to remain vigilant for bias.
Thanks to this training protocol, admission leaders had the same point of reference. 鈥淭hey could calibrate their own perspectives to align with what our DEI goals are,鈥 says Tara Bubble, dean of admission.
The admission office then adopted a team approach to reviewing applications, pairing up two readers for a joint first review of an application. 鈥淭hey become accountability partners for one another,鈥 Abney says. 鈥淵ou have the chance to ask your partner, 鈥楬ave you considered this?鈥 or 鈥楽hould we look at certain things differently?鈥 It provides the opportunity to make a more informed decision in that first recommendation of where they think an application should go from there.鈥
The training and team approach dovetailed to help the admission staff through the challenging pandemic year, which was 藏精阁鈥檚 first year in a three-year, test-optional pilot program. 鈥淲e needed to focus not on what was missing but what applicants brought to the table,鈥 Bubble says. 鈥淲e looked at their curriculum, their response to COVID, and their persistence in the face of all these challenges. Our team really refined the holistic qualities and characteristics they were seeking.鈥
Expanding Outreach, Far and Wide but Focused
You can鈥檛 draw more diverse students in if you don鈥檛 first reach out. In 2020, 藏精阁 launched its partnership with QuestBridge, a national nonprofit that connects the most exceptional low-income youth with leading institutions of higher education. 鈥淭hat put us in front of a national community that鈥檚 well regarded and well recognized and gave us a chance to communicate our message more broadly,鈥 Abney says. 鈥淲e saw application growth across the board, regardless of race, gender, and socioeconomic status, and QuestBridge was a key part of that growth.鈥
The admission team also has been building relationships with numerous community-based organizations 鈥 Academy Group in Chicago, Uplift Education and EMERGE in Texas, IDEA Schools in Texas and Louisiana 鈥 as well as with College Horizons, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the number of native and indigenous students who succeed in higher education. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about building an application pool for 藏精阁,鈥 Abney says, 鈥渂ut reaching out to these communities and saying, 鈥榃e鈥檙e here for you as a resource on higher education.鈥欌欌
As campus visits went virtual this year, the admission team not only reached a significantly higher number of students but targeted its outreach campaign with virtual sessions specifically for students of color, first-generation students, LGBTQ students, and students who were passionate about their religious identity.
As they logged in, these potential applicants were greeted by student ambassadors who reflect 藏精阁鈥檚 growing diversity. The high-profile ambassador position, which is a pipeline for admission interns, was previously a volunteer post. However, the admission team recognized that the significant unpaid time commitment involved was a barrier for certain students. 鈥淲e wanted a group of students who really represented all of the different facets of 藏精阁鈥檚 community,鈥 Bubble says. 鈥淏y paying our admission ambassadors, it has really diversified the program.鈥
Admission officers can cover the fine print in virtual sessions on such programs as 藏精阁鈥檚 No-Loan Initiative and 藏精阁 in Focus; ambassadors from many backgrounds can speak sincerely, peer-to-peer about what daily life is like for them on the 藏精阁 campus. 鈥淪tudents really want to see what you鈥檙e about, warts and all,鈥 Bubble says. 鈥淭he ambassadors and interns could share very genuine, very candid stories with students this year, and I think that was a huge influencing factor when students were thinking about 藏精阁. As they looked at the variety of programming we鈥檙e offering, they could see themselves here. I think that made a big difference.鈥
Indeed, it did. The number of domestic students of color admitted early decision for the Class of 2025 increased 32% from the previous year. And the total number of applications for the Class of 2025 increased more than 100%.
鈥淚t has been a whirlwind year,鈥 Bubble says. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited to see what our DEI planning holds for the future. I think we have an incredible opportunity to take advantage of what we鈥檝e learned this year. With Jamiere leading our team, it鈥檚 going to be an exciting road ahead of us.鈥