The agenda for the Board of Trustees meeting Friday included a diversity report and a report from the Office of Student Welfare & Title IX.
IU-Bloomington’s diversity enrollment set all-time highs this year, breaking the record for the number of minorities enrolled on campus.
Records were also broken for the individual amounts of Hispanic/Latino students, African-American students and Asian-American students enrolled.
The enrollment for underrepresented minorities is 1,186 at IU for the bicentennial class of 2020, a 38-percent increase.
James Wimbush, dean of the University Graduate School, gave an update on the diversity at IU during the Board of Trustees meeting Friday.
As a second part of the presentation, David Johnson, vice provost of the Office of Enrollment Management, discussed the diversity recruitment efforts made by IU.
Financial needs play a huge role in recruitment, he explained.
At IU, many scholarships and awards are given to students with merit or in need.
More than one in six Indiana residents are 21st Century Scholars, Johnson said.
In the bicentennial class, there are 812 students under this scholarship. IU works with these students and the state to help pay their tuition.
One of the newer financial need programs IU has began is the Indiana County Bicentennial Scholarship.
“We looked at data to see which counties were the lowest enrolling,” Johnson said.
Incoming freshmen from these counties can now apply for up to $2,500 to attend IU.
Johnson explained this was to bring more students from the less involved counties to the University.
Johnson also discussed the six Cs, a diversity recruitment strategy used to target a diverse population.
These stand for different organizations and pathways for IU to go through to communicate with prospective students, such as community based programs or pre-college camps and competitions.
Johnson explained students aren’t coming to IU only because of financial situations.
“It’s not just the money, it’s the support they get through the office,” Johnson said.
For Sacha Tieme, IU-Bloomington executive director of admission, the response from her board was positive.
“Overall what was most often noted was just the strength and the increases we have seen over time,” Tieme said.
Others have noticed IU’s diversity as well. The Campus Pride List of Top LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Universities featured IU-Bloomington in 2016, making its fourth ever appearance on the list.
The campus also received the 2016 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award from Insight into Diversity magazine for its commitment to diversity.
And in 2015, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education gave IU-Bloomington the Champion Award for its contributions to the 21st Century Scholars Program.
Beside the diversity report, the Board of Trustees also listened to the Office of Student Welfare & Title IX discuss their efforts at IU campuses to prevent sexual violence and abuse.
Webinars, conferences, posters and bus wraps across IU speak out against sexual intercourse without consent.
Emily Springston, Chief Student Welfare & Title IX Officer, talked about the importance of these measures to prevent bad situations.
“I think it went well,” Springston said, following the meeting. “It was some of the information they heard before, but it’s always helpful to get in front of them and explain to them some of the things we do.”
The Board of Trustees also met Thursday. They discussed alumni engagement and future plans for the School of Art and Design. Dean Peg Faimon taked about the kind of student the schools hopes to attract.
She said she hopes students in her school will be globally engaged and feel social responsibility, among other qualities.
The board also passed resolutions related to debt and reimbursement Thursday.
The next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Dec. 1-2 at IU-East Richmond.
