This story is part of a new, regular feature on CALS Notes devoted to profiling the people and programs in the college committed to promoting greater diversity and inclusion in the CALS community.
As CALS Notes recently learned, Pamela Tan cares deeply about engaging a more diverse population of the best and brightest young people and attracting them to CALS. As the college’s director of admissions, she believes that being accessible is key to successfully reaching out to students who are first generation college applicants or self-identify as coming from an underrepresented minority group.
“We’ve tried to think about new ways to let more students and families know that we are here to help and that all they need to do is pick up the phone or send us an email if they have questions or want to learn more about the college,” Tan said. “I think that for a lot of students going through the college admissions process for the first time, it isn’t intuitive that they can do that, or they think ‘Why would I bother Cornell? Why would they want to hear from me?’ But we’re putting the message out there that we want to help and we absolutely want to hear from you.”
One way CALS is achieving this goal is through its involvement in Cornell’s Diversity Hosting Month. Throughout April, underrepresented minority students are invited to campus to participate in a day-in-the-life-of-a-Cornell-student experience. CALS admissions personnel work with students and their families to arrange every detail of their visit, connecting them with current CALS students who share their academic interests, setting up meetings with admissions and student services staff, scheduling one-on-one conversations with faculty and making arrangements to attend classes of interest. As Tan described it, the ultimate goal is to fully personalize their time here, so that they leave with “a real taste of what their own Cornell experience would be like.”
Tan also points out that CALS has recently reimagined itself through its revamped website and other materials to make itself far more accessible to students. This has made a big difference in the level of excitement about the college being generated among all prospective students. She also described efforts to promote the FACES Program in CALS, which provides funding and support to underrepresented minority transfer students who are interested in agriculture-related majors and are considering doing extension work after graduation.
But being accessible is only one part of a much broader, more ambitious diversity recruitment strategy that seeks to identify and reach out to promising minority students long before they even consider applying.
“In the past, the admissions model was that you go to high schools, talk to students, and then they would apply. But today, new technology enables us to conduct “armchair recruiting” by reaching out to them before Cornell is even on their radar.”
For example, CALS has been working with the College Board to identify and engage underrepresented minority students who’ve done particularly well on the Advanced Placement tests, and whose interests and aptitude in math and science suggest they would excel in the college.
“By reaching out to students like this before they even apply, we can begin to mentor and guide them through the admissions process to help them be successful,” Tan said. “Ultimately, the goal is not to have more applications, but to connect with those students who may not have thought of Cornell and CALS as a possibility, but whose interests and ability to succeed make them ideal candidates.”
Another CALS priority is enrolling greater numbers of Native American students, and Tan described a new partnership with the American Indian Program (AIP) that has resulted in a coordinated recruitment strategy for those students.
“Last year, we sent out a joint mailing to Native American Students in New York State telling them about our college and describing a unique application fee waiver that is available to them. We also reached out to self-identified native students across the country to let them know about the many academic programs and resources for Native American students available at Cornell, such as the American Indian Studies minor.”
Tan also mentioned that a special campus event for Native American students and high school guidance counselors is currently being planned by AIP for the spring. The day will include special events and activities focusing on the academic opportunities, financial aid, and other services available for native students at Cornell.
Tan expects this new Native American recruitment strategy to reap dividends over the coming years, as current high school sophomores & juniors who are now being engaged begin the college application process. She also said that if successful, the partnership between CALS Admissions and AIP would be expanded to other Cornell admissions offices, with the goal of making the entire university more accessible and inclusive to Native American students.
For students with disabilities, Tan described the many resources available through Cornell Student Disability Services. She also said that she and her team work hard to ensure that students with disabilities who are interested in applying to CALS are provided with whatever special accommodations they may require during the application process.
“I would encourage any student with special needs who is interested in applying to Cornell to ask those questions. Resources are available.”
Ultimately, these efforts have resulted in considerable success thus far; much like the rest of Cornell, the CALS Class of 2017 is the most diverse in college history. And Tan gives credit for this success to the coordinated efforts of faculty, students and staff who are fully committed to making CALS an ever more inclusive community.
“The CALS Ambassadors have been phenomenal in terms of doing outreach to prospective students, answering their questions, giving them a window into what life is like at Cornell, or simply congratulating them on being accepted into CALS. And CALS faculty and staff have been tremendously accessible and always willing to meet with promising students during their visits.
“I think working together, we’ve succeeded in transforming a process that has been traditionally perceived at elitist or opaque into one that is much more engaging and open.”
