Admissons seeks to expand diversity

By Carrie Woodall
Staff Reporter

Admission counselors now have more ability to help expand diversity on campus.

Because more students are applying to the university, there is a larger pool to choose from, said Ray Brown, dean of admissions.

“After looking at qualitative information about applicants, diversity is the most important issue when deciding which students to accept,” Brown said. “We want to know what unique characteristics each student can give to the university.”

This gives students who once thought they could not attend TCU an option, said Cornell Thomas, special assistant to the chancellor for diversity.

“Perceptions of TCU are changing because we are reaching out to the community to let students know they are capable of attending this university regardless of their background,” Thomas said.

Brown said the applications the university received for fall 2001 have already surpassed last year. Applicants increased from 2,460 last year to more than 3,000. Overall, the university is becoming a more appealing school because of educational opportunities and the school’s size, he said.

According to admission’s records, the number of incoming minority students at TCU increased from 185 to 209 students this past year, admissions counselor Misty Tippen said.

An opportunity for prospective students is the Community Scholars program. This program gives students at five area high schools exposure to the availabilities of financing their education, Tippen said.

“We just want to bring in as many students to TCU as we can,” Tippen said. “We want to live up to the mission statement of the university to enrich the student body in a global community.”

Michael Moore, a freshman religion major, said TCU met his expectations of a diverse campus when he arrived as a new student.

“Meeting people that are different from you causes you to step out of your comfort zone and opens your eyes to a whole new world,” Moore said.

Brown said diversity isn’t necessarily based on nationality.

“I would like the school to be reflective of the region of the United States we are in because there are so many different types of people here from all areas with so much to give,” Brown said.

Carrie Woodall
cdawn1@aol.com