(NAME-MCE) Diversifying Middle American Campuses

[Anselmo Villanueva]

Diversifying Middle American Campuses

April 8, 2009

Predominantly white and conservative community college in Wyoming aims to
celebrate differences in culture, ethnicity and sexual orientation where
there are few.

For related stories, go to:

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/04/08/wyoming

Diversifying Middle America

April 8, 2009

PHOENIX, Arizona -- “Diversity” was the stated theme at this week’s meeting
of the American Association of Community Colleges. Bubbling beneath the
surface, however, were frank discussions about budget shortfalls and a
dreary job market.

Officials from the Northern Wyoming Community College District told a group
of attendees how they have managed to make institutional progress on both
fronts by deliberately attempting to diversify their campuses. They argue
that their efforts, including attracting international students to the area,
have improved the value of the educational experience they provide to
native-born students and stimulated the local economy.

Diverse might seem a peculiar word to describe the student body of the
three-county region the district serves. Nearly 97 percent of the students
who attend its two colleges are white, and Native Americans from
traditionally local tribes make up the largest minority group.

Religiously, the district is predominantly Protestant -- both evangelical
and mainline -- although it has sizable Catholic and Mormon populations.
Politically, and much like the state as a whole, it is an increasingly
Republican-voting area. (It should be noted, however, that the region helped
elect a second-term Democratic governor in 2006.) Also, less than two
percent of the district’s population is foreign born.

Still, Kevin Drumm, the district's president, said the area is becoming more
diverse all the time, as it has plenty of jobs to offer -- mostly
energy-related work with coal, natural gas and oil. Because of its recent
growth in comparison to its relatively small population, he asserted that
Wyoming is actually the most rapidly diversifying state in the country.

Using this as a backdrop, Drumm came to the district in 2004 with the
ambition of creating a more welcoming atmosphere for different kinds of
ideas, cultures and students.

“As a president who moved to Wyoming from a city and college in
Massachusetts that was majority minority, it was a bit of a culture shock
moving to an institution that was 97 percent Anglo,” said Drumm, who was
previously vice president for enrollment at Springfield Technical Community
College. “I began to cogitate how we could begin to intentionally diversify
this college.”

The institution already attracted a number of minority students because of
its National Junior College Athletic Association sports teams. Drumm noted
that the women’s basketball team’s leading scorer was a Native American. He,
however, said these programs were not enough, and fostered diversity in a
narrow way that made him “uncomfortable.”

Instead of simply starting academic and student programs with a global focus
at the colleges, Drumm said it was important to attract and foster a diverse
campus population first.

Claudia Colnar, director of international programs, said the colleges began
making a concerted effort to attract foreign students to Wyoming, of all
places. Although it seems a hard sell, the district has sent a number of
delegations overseas -- particularly to China, where there is great interest
in American education -- to try to recruit students who wish to study in the
United States.

To attract these students, Colnar said the colleges have added on-campus
housing, full-service dining halls, more tutors, ESL instructors and
international affairs officers to help with any student issues. In addition,
she noted that the colleges have partnered with a number of families in the
region to host some of these students. The colleges brand themselves as a
gateway to the American West and take particular pride in the local beauty
of the area, no matter how rural and remote.

Mark Englert, vice president for enrollment and student services, said the
district has a long way to go before it can establish strong “brand
recognition abroad.” To try to boost its image as a place where diversity is
valued, he said it is attempting to hire more staff with international
experience. The case for diversity, he said, must also be made to the local
community, by including them in various cultural events.

“If were going to make changes around here, we have to be very intentional
about our efforts,” Englert said. “At the same time, we have to celebrate
some of the cultural diversity we already have in this district. We haven’t
always done a good job with that.”

Drumm said it is challenging to persuade international students to come to a
Wyoming community college -- particularly when most have ambitions of
attending college in larger, coastal cities -- but he said the district’s
strong transfer history and inexpensive cost are major attractions.

Of benefit to the district, international students do not qualify for any
financial aid and must pay full freight. Though Drumm claimed this was not
the primary reason he pushed for more international students, he
acknowledged the extra dollars would help the institution.

Though the district has reached transfer agreements with only a few online
and in-state institutions, Northern Wyoming officials said they tout the
fact that many of their students go on to attend more elite institutions
around the country. The ability to transfer, they said, is chief among the
questions they receive from international students considering attending
their institution. Drumm added that those students who decide to come from
overseas are typically talented enough to transfer “wherever they want.”

Some may choose to stay in the area, but Drumm admits that most are likely
to leave after having completed their two-year degree. Community colleges,
at their core, have traditionally been vehicles for educating local citizens
and spurring economic development as a result. Drumm, however, said there is
an economic boon to this type of international recruiting, as well as an
educational one.

“Even if some of these [international] students stay only two or three
years, there is such a labor shortage in this area that their temporary
presence in the workforce makes a difference,” Drumm said.

In the classroom, Drumm said the institution is still working to further
integrate a global awareness component in its curriculum. Though more and
more faculty members are beginning to “internationalize” their courses, he
acknowledged there has not been buy-in from everyone.

“Some of my faculty will say, ‘Oh, that’s an eastern thing,’ ” Drumm said.
“And they’ll mean it as an insult.”

The efforts to diversify have also not been without some resistance in the
local area.

“We have an international student with a dark complexion who has been
stopped five times by the local police and has never been cited for
anything,” said Drumm, referring to instances of prejudice in his community.
“Also, we raise a lot of money privately, and fund raising could become an
issue because of what we’re doing. So far, however, that hasn’t happened.”

— David Moltz