PSU enrollment numbers show increase in minority students

With recently released enrollment numbers revealing another record-setting head count at Pittsburg State University, officials say they are pleased to see one particular segment of students on the rise.
The number of American minority students at PSU is steadily gaining, with the numbers of four ethnic groups — American Indians, Asian Americans, Hispanics and Latinos and African Americans — all seeing increases this fall. In total, the number of American minority students rose 6.3 percent, taking the total population from 7 to 7.8 percent.
The number of American Indian students has risen by 10.2 percent this fall. Asian American students have gone up 15 percent. Black students have increased by 1.8 percent, while Hispanic and Latino students have gone up 5 percent.
Dr. William Ivy, dean of enrollment management and student success, said these increases are due in part to increased recruitment efforts targeted at minority populations. Specifically, the addition of a director of student diversity has helped bring focus to what had been a decentralized effort.
“It is so important to show students that PSU is committed to not only recruitment but also retention,” Leslye Steptoe, director of student diversity, said. “Students recognize and appreciate our efforts, and the enrollment numbers are beginning to reflect that.”
This year, PSU has approximately 10 student organizations geared toward American ethnic minorities, such as Hispanics of Today, the Native American Student Association, the Black Student Association, and Kappa Alpha Psi, a historically African American fraternity. In 2007, faculty and staff also began working to provide a more diverse educational environment by organizing a Tilford Group chapter at PSU. Named after Michael Tilford, a former dean of the graduate school at Wichita State University, the statewide organization hosts lectures and an annual conference designed to foster multiculturalism on campuses.
This year’s Tilford Conference will be held Oct. 2-3 at Wichita State University.
Dr. Roy Janisch, faculty adviser for the Native American Student Association, believes the numbers are growing because students are more aware of the opportunities to earn a college education.
“I believe there had been a lack of opportunity, a lack of role modeling,” Janisch, who is a member of the Lakota Sioux tribe and is helping his students organize a powwow on campus next spring, said. “We’ve been getting the word out that there’s more of a Native American presence on campus. The additional activity by the student association only helps that.”
For Ivy, diversity amongst PSU students is about far more than numbers — it’s a way to prepare students of all ethnicities for the world that awaits them.
“Our students are being educated to take positions all over the world, and they’re going to be part of a diverse and global society. If we don’t do a good job of bringing in American minority students, the education of all our students will be missing something,” Ivy said. “Providing a diverse student environment as best we can is preparing our students for the world as it will be.”