The Graduate School works to recruit talented underrepresented students in a wide range of disciplines. Graduate Enrollment staff hold open information sessions, host virtual office hours, offer one one-on-one appointments with students, question and answer sessions, attend recruitment conferences, and connect potential applicants with current faculty and staff in a variety of programs.
At the graduate level, diversity looks different by program. Graduate Enrollment staff work with individual programs to understand what diversity looks like in each. This may mean recruiting more women for programs in computer science and engineering or recruiting more domestic students of color in biology, for example. This individualized approach to recruitment is a hallmark of graduate education.
Retaining underrepresented students, like retention of all students, means providing support for their success. In addition to academic and financial support, students want to feel a sense of belonging – not just to the institution, but to their program. Graduate Program Directors play a crucial role in creating a supportive environment. The Thomas L. Reynolds Center for Graduate Life and Learning offers programs and services to support student success throughout their program and beyond.