The Admissions and Outreach Coordinators serve minority students in schools in central and southeastern Washington. They are responsible for establishing contact with local school districts, providing outreach information to families in the community, and ultimately with increasing the numbers of minority students applying for admission to the University of Washington (UW). The first coordinator was hired in autumn 2000, and another in spring 2001.

FINDINGS

Admissions and Outreach Coordinators 2000-2001

Individual interviews were conducted with the coordinators about their activities and their perceptions of their own impact on minority student recruitment, and followed with email communication regarding their future outreach plans. Each coordinator brings a personal and professional background that enhances his current position. Both exhibit high energy for their duties, but have needed to determine, in part, through trial and error the best way to reach minority students. A variety of ideas for outreach activities were suggested by the coordinators, some of which are currently in use. Although the program is new, both coordinators feel that there is good potential for recruiting minority students.

The coordinators were initially plagued by technical problems, ranging from computer connections to cellular phone communication. These problems have largely been resolved and the coordinators are able to communicate more easily with the UW Seattle campus. However because they are both new to their positions and are a great distance from Seattle, ease of communication should remain one of the highest priorities for supporting this project. Additionally, project goals and desired outcomes need to be established by the supervisor and communicated to the coordinators, for neither seems to know how the success of his efforts will be judged.