When word spread that Concordia College – a small, historically Black college in Selma, Alabama – was closing its doors, nearby institutions sprang into action to recruit their students.
Alabama State University (ASU) is the latest institution to help, traveling to Selma on Thursday morning to encourage students to enroll at their school. Representatives from admissions, the university’s five degree-granting colleges and other divisions met and spoke with Concordia students about their potential future at ASU.
“I’m here because these institutions don’t exist without our students,” said Dr. Quinton T. Ross, Jr., president of ASU. “Our students are our most precious resource. We are extremely student-centered at Alabama State University. I know that they were student-centered here at Concordia, so we wanted to show them the same.”
Ross said that after speaking with his administration and admissions director Freddie Williams, Jr., everyone on campus embraced the idea of supporting a “fellow sister institution” and its students so that the transition period is as smooth as possible.
“Concordia College has been a destination point for students for years in our community,” Ross added. “When the news [of its closing] actually hit, all I could think about was the students, and particularly those students who may be first-generation students, who have made this journey to get to this point to pursue a higher education degree.”
ASU leaders, staff and students from divisions ranging from admissions, financial aid, athletics, the graduate school and more arrived at Concordia two buses strong. Concordia students engaged with ASU officials and students in a fair-like setting where student projects and interactive displays about various programs were on display.
Representatives from ASU’s five colleges were present to speak directly with students about their particular majors. Williams and his admissions and recruitment team also hosted on-the-spot admissions meetings with Concordia students, waiving application fees.
