¡Bienvenidos á ECU! Increasing Hispanic Enrollments at a Regional, Rural-Serving Public Institution

• In Event: Building Pathways: Class, Rurality, and Belonging in Higher Education

Abstract

In the immediate post-pandemic era, public regional higher educational institutions are experiencing precipitous enrollment declines even as higher education as an industry faces the challenges of demographic shifts. This study utilizes Acevedo-Gil’s college-conocimiento college choice theoretical framework to shape an intervention to recruit a growing demography within rural eastern North Carolina, Hispanic students. An intervention providing prospective students and parents with college was followed by a marked increase in the yield of Hispanic students over the one-year period. Policy challenges notwithstanding, goodwill and continued engagement in the community contributes to positive change.

Authors

• Rich Klindworth, East Carolina University

• Crystal Renee Chambers, East Carolina University