Christian Onwuka had narrowed his college choices to two: San Diego State University (SDSU), in the town where he grew up, and Morehouse College, an HBCU that is all-male like his Catholic high school and would allow him to spread his wings away from home.
When the father of his 8-year-old brother died, Onwuka felt so strongly about the importance of being there to mentor his little brother that he chose SDSU and enrolled there on a Presidential Scholarship that pays his tuition.
Onwuka, who will be a senior this fall, is studying business and finance. He has immersed himself in his college’s culture, serving in multiple leadership capacities and sometimes including his brother in service activities. The aspiring CEO of a Fortune 500 company is an example of the broad and deep cultural variety that makes SDSU one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in the United States.
According to school administrators, 52 percent of all students enrolled in fall 2017 were students of color, and students of color constituted 62.1 percent of all transfer students. For students who transfer from community college, the two-year graduation rate is 50.9 percent overall and 49.4 percent for students of color; four-year graduation rates for transfers are 85.4 percent overall and 84.8 percent for students of color.
SDSU’s efforts to attract and maintain a diverse student population begins with a recruitment strategy of reaching out and building strong relationships with prospective students at high schools and community colleges. And as much effort is devoted to engaging their parents and school counselors.
“We call them the influencers,” says Sandra Temores-Valdez, senior director of enrollment services. “We try to build strong relationships with them so they understand our requirements, and our success stories. And so that they embrace the idea of sending their students to SDSU.”
The university has a newsletter that targets prospective students and touts successes of current students regarding scholarships, internships, awards, study abroad and other inspiring information, says Temores-Valdez.
