Minority enrollment increases
Carmen Castro
Staff Reporter

With a broad increase in applications across all ethnicities, the university set a record number for enrolled Hispanic and Asian-American students, said Dean of Admissions Ray Brown.

TCU’s freshman minority enrollment is 14.3 percent, only a tenth less than last year’s class, said Thomas Oliver, director of freshmen admissions. The small percentage decrease is due to an increase in overall enrollment, he said.

In particular, Hispanic enrollment increased by 19 students and Asian-American by 3 students for this incoming class, Brown said.

“A lot of neat things are happening across campus help attract a diverse group,” Oliver said.

Oliver said admissions counselors look at diversity in the broadest term. Diversity is also about socio-economic backgrounds, geographic interests and the culture international students bring to the university, he said.

Meanwhile, the admissions office continues to search for new ways of continue its good relations with the immediate community, Oliver said.

Admissions counselor Victoria Herrera said one of the newest attempts to try and reach the minority community is through the distribution of Spanish informational school brochures that will be available by mid-September.

“It’s never been done before,” Herrera said. “Now students will be able to involve their Spanish native-speaking parents so parents actually know what their children are getting in the mail.”

Another tactic aimed at attracting more Hispanic students is the continued on-campus Spanish classes, which admissions officers continue to take, as well as the upcoming second annual Fiesta de los Frogs event, Herrera said.

Brown said the Community Scholar Program, along with Absolute Xcellence Program are continued partnerships with the Fort Worth Independent School District. Another partnership co-sponsored through Frost Bank and TCU educates local community students on how to finance a college education, Brown said.

Jose Luis Hernandez, a sophomore music major, said minority enrollment appears to have stayed about the same. Hernandez said he has attended faculty senate meetings in the past and sees administration trying hard to develop ways to attract a diverse group of students to the university.

“It takes time, but it’s great to see they are making an effort,” Hernandez said.

Carmen Castro