Cornell University President Hunter Rawlings has approved an assertive $100,000 initiative aimed at enhancing the diversity of the student community by improving the recruitment of underrepresented minority students, university officials have announced.

"The recruitment of underrepresented minority students is a very high priority for the university," said Donald Saleh, Cornell dean of admissions and financial aid, in announcing the new initiative. "The investment the president has approved and the steps we are taking will help us make that priority a reality."

The initiative will begin immediately, Saleh said.

"One of the university's top priorities is to improve the undergraduate experience," Rawlings said. "To ensure that we are successful in that endeavor and in our overall goal of becoming the best research university for undergraduate education in this country, we must and will build a more diverse, more inclusive community on this campus."

Cornell has seen little growth -- and in some cases a decline -- in its underrepresented minority applicant pool over the past several years, Saleh said. While the university has continued to be successful in identifying underrepresented minority prospects, through travel and national test score searches, the conversion rate from prospect to applicant has fallen short, he said. The yield of those who do apply and are admitted also must be improved to ensure a more diverse student community, he added.

Between fall 1995 and fall 1998, the applicant pool of African American students declined 4.9 percent, from 950 to 903. The applicant pool for Native American students declined 2.8 percent, from 71 to 69; for Puerto Rican students, it declined 4.4 percent, from 228 to 218; for Mexican American students, it declined 13.4 percent, from 292 to 175; for other Hispanic students, it increased 0.9 percent, from 583 to 588.

Minority enrollment at Cornell overall has been flat. In 1995, 3,668 undergraduate minority students were enrolled, or 27.4 percent of the 13,372 undergraduates. That included 63

Native Americans, 564 African Americans, 797 Hispanics and 2,244 Asians or Pacific Islanders. In 1998, a total of 3,674 undergraduate minority students were enrolled, or 27.3 percent of the 13,442 undergraduates. That includes 72 Native Americans, 588 African Americans, 837 Hispanics and 2,176 Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders.

The new initiative includes:

• Early university-paid visits to campus by outstanding students identified through regional admissions coordinators. Itineraries will be tailored to individual students.
• A fall Native American hosting program will support a group visit to campus by Native American prospective students before the application stage.
• Increased funding for Cornell Days visits, to fund travel by students unable to attend Minority Hosting Weekend.
• Increased funding for Minority Hosting Weekend.
• Funding for faculty travel and presentations to high schools with high minority populations, in conjunction with admissions recruitment travel.
• A program to bring to campus 25 to 30 guidance counselors from minority-based high schools and agencies in the New York City area.

In addition, Cornell alumni committee members will increase the number of telephone contacts to prospects and applicants in markets identified with strong prospect pools.

"These funds will help us take some very important steps to improve our recruitment of minority students," Saleh said. "We are excited about the opportunities ahead. While there is still much to accomplish in order to achieve our goal, we believe this initiative will help significantly in moving us toward that end."