monday, february 2, 2004
news
tne university daily kansan
5A
Multicultural program helps out minority students
Twelve years after the program's beginning, enrollment continues its steady increase
By Jodie Kraft
jkraff@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The Multicultural Scholars Program began in 1992 with seven students in the School of Business.
Its mission: to retain and graduate minority students. Now, 12 years later, the program has expanded to eight departments and about 90 students as it continues its goals.
"Our program is unique because it's faculty run, privately funded and well structured. And we are willing to report the results," said Renate Mai-Dalton, coordinator of the program and associate professor of business.
Mai-Dalton said the program has had an 85 percent retention rate over the past 12 years and a 77 percent graduation rate from, 1992 to 1997.
Students in the program receive a scholarship, one-on-one mentoring with the director, and the opportunity to attend group meetings and cultural activities.
"I believe that an education consists of more than just passing courses," Mai-Dalton said.
Mai-Dalton said she had two goals for recruiting: to find students already enrolled at the Uni-
"Our program is unique because it's faculty run, privately funded and well structured.And we are willing to report the results."
renate Mai-Dalton Coordinator of the Multicultural Scholars Program and associate professor of business
versity and to find incoming freshmen.
Mai-Dalton said she preferred to admit incoming freshmen so the older, more experienced scholars could help the new scholars.
Christopher Guerra, a 2000 graduate and former scholar of the business program, said this process of networking was the most beneficial to him during college.
"I met different people who I'm still really good friends with now." Guerra said.
Guerra said through the scholars program, he obtained an internship at Ernst & Young LLP in Kansas City, Mo.
Southern, a rail transportation company located in Kansas City, Kan.
This led to a job with the accounting firm, which eventually led to employment as an internal auditor for Kansas City
Mai-Dalton started the program after assisting Marlan Washington's women basketball players with academics in 1988.
She saw a significant improvement in players' grade point averages and was asked if she could implement a similar program for all students.
After Mai-Dalton saw success with the Multicultural Business Scholars Program, she said Chancellor Robert Hemenway and Provost David Shulenburger asked if she could expand to other departments and schools.
In the fall of 2001, the Schools of Journalism and Education were added. This was followed by African and African-American studies and Human Development and Family Life in January 2003. Schools of Pharmacy, Architecture, and Languages and Humanities were added last fall.
Mai-Dalton said money was the biggest factor when to adding schools or departments to the program. In addition to personally searching for potential donors, Mai-Dalton receives help from the Kansas University Endowment Association, as well as other schools and departments.
"We can only expand as we find donors," Mal-Dalton said. "We're trying from all sides, but I'm feeling responsible for finding money for all the programs."
Mai-Dalton said finding committed directors to lead programs also played a role in expanding.
Theresa Shireman, associate professor and director for the Multicultural Pharmacy Scholars Program, said the main idea of the program was to provide students with necessary resources.
To do this, Shireman and the other directors meet monthly with students to discuss grades, find tutoring and analyze problems that the students might come across.
Shireman said students appreciated the "status checks." faculty support and cultural activities, such as plays and Lied Center performances.
"It's opening up their eyes and giving them a world view," Shireman said.
Teresa Cuevas, Topeka freshman, said she liked the idea of a professor looking out for her at the University of Kansas. Cuevas, a scholar in the business program, said Mai-Dalton had good connections and advice.
"She makes the campus seem a lot smaller." Cuevas said.
Cuevas said she applied after
Mai-Dalton said she was in dis-
receiving a brochure about the MSP last summer. Mai-Dalton said admittance to the program was on a case-by-case basis, depending on financial need and academic merit.
Each scholar receives an average of $750, but scholarship amounts can vary. As with admittance, Mai-Dalton said the flexible nature of the program allowed for a better allocation of scholarships according to need.
cussion stages with several departments or schools about future programs but declined to name them. She said this semester would be spent stabilizing existing programs and searching for potential donors.
Mai-Dalton said by 2008 she planned to enroll 190 students in the MSP.
"I would like to see 300, but everything hinges on money," she said.
Edited by Cindy Yeo
Group links new students
By Marc Ingber
mingber@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Any college freshman knows the awkwardness, lack of experience and fear that comes along with the first year of college. However, for students of color on the University of Kansas campus, those issues can be even worse.
Nevertheless, since the 1999- 2000 school year, the HAWK Link program has helped. Freshman and transfer students of color have had a place to turn to help them navigate through their first year at the University.
Rebecca Bailey, program assistant, said last semester HAWK Link had its most successful semester yet.
"We had a record number of high academic achievements, and it was also our largest class of students that we've ever had."
HAWK Link had 303 students participate in the program last semester, up from 228 last year, and a significant increase from the 36 students it had when it started in 1999. Of the 303 students, 13 had a 4.0 grade point average, 82 had a GPA of 3.0 and above and 124 had a GPA 2.0 and above, all increased from last year.
The program helps students by introducing them to existing programs at the University that will aid them during their first year. This includes help with advising, financial aid, tutors, mentoring programs as well as other areas. HAWK Link also serves as a social forum for these students to meet other students of color.
Bailey said the program's first and foremost goal was to bring its students back to school the next year.
"Last year we had a retention rate of 84 percent, so our goal for next year is to beat that," she said. The program's highest retention rate was 86 percent in 2001-2002.
Juan Izaguirre Pena, assistant director, said this semester's big program was the faculty-mentor program.
"We connect students with faculty mentors so that they are exposed to the professor's point of view," he said.
Bailey said another of the program's goals was to introduce the new students to older students who have already gone through the experience of being a first-year student.
"We try to help them make contacts with student organizations so they can meet upperclassmen." she said.
Reggie McKeithen, Kansas City, Mo., freshman, said the program had been a big help for him.
"I've met some of my best friends in here," he said. "It's a really good program to get you involved in different organizations."
He added that the program had helped him academically as well by getting him involved in programs like Student Educational Services and Students Together Excelling in Education as Peers.
"I would advise anyone interested to attend all of the meetings and take advantage of everything they do for you," Winkfield said.
Antwan Winkfield, Kansas City, Mo., freshman, said he was glad that he decided to participate in the program.
Edited by Collin LaJoie
Course provides forum, credit
By Rupal Gor
rgor@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
To honor the history of Kansas Territory, two groups have partnered up to establish a statewide online discussion about four distinguished books.
According to Laura Diede, KU student services, so far, no one is enrolled in the course. She said she expected a big enrollment once students heard about it.
The Kansas Humanities Council and University of Kansas Continuing Education began the statewide program.
The first book discussion began Jan. 14. The second book discussion began Wednesday. Those who visited the Web site could listen to recordings — which were taped in the fall — about each book and submit their own comments.
The discussion is free, but students who are interested in Kansas history should enroll in the one-hour distance learning online credit course.
Barbara Watkins, KU Continuing Education, encourages people to read the books and participate in the online discussion.
Watkins said this was the first time that the program had combined public discussion with a credit course in history.
"We are naturally, as continuing educators, deeply interested in this subject," she said.
Julie Mulvihill, director of programs for KHC, said 2004 was a great year to get interested in Kansas history because of its 150th anniversary.
Each of the four books on the list shows problems of slavery, an issue when Kansas became a state. The books are Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, The Englishman in Kansas by Thomas Gladstone, John Brown (John Brown: The Legend Revisited) by Merrill Peterson and The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton by Jane Smiley.
Jonathan Earle, assistant professor of history, taped a discussion about John Brown at the Lawrence Public Library in the
fall. He said everyone who participated read the book and wanted to join the discussion.
"Everything we can do to bring in the territorial past is a good thing to do." Earle said. "We don't look at the past history of Kansas as a very interesting period of time."
Earle said people thought of Kansas as a state of solid and conservative values and they missed the point of seeing Kansas' radical history. He said the issues of slavery and racism led to warfare, most notably "Bleeding Kansas."
Ashley Nazarak-Braatz, Philadelphia junior, is an English major interested in history. She said she didn't know a lot about the history of Kansas or the Midwest, and would be willing to check out the discussion site.
"If I took the class for credit, it would be a good chance to learn about something I wouldn't otherwise have had a chance to learn about in other classes," Nazarak-Braatz said.
— Edited by Collin Laoie