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Reaching and keeping Black students in a comprehensively supportive academic community in which they can flourish is entrenched into Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Quality Initiative (QI) goal of becoming an anti-racist institution. 

The University’s QI, an important part of its reaccreditation process with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), was the backdrop of SIUE’s 2021 Virtual Diversity and Inclusion Spring Summit, “The Fierce Urgency of Now: Recruitment and Retention of Black Students Through an Antideficit Lens” held Wednesday, March 24. 

“I view recruitment and retention as two sides of the same coin,” said Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Jessica Harris, PhD. “If we aspire to increase the numbers of Black undergraduate and graduate students at SIUE, and retain and graduate them, we must assess our readiness to genuinely respond to students’ needs and our preparedness to facilitate their success. We must also critically examine our policies, practices and campus climate, and do the work necessary to ensure that this is a university that Black students not only want to attend, but also a place where they will thrive.” 

“All students admitted to institutions of higher learning deserve a fair opportunity to excel and persist to graduation,” said Courtney Boddie, PhD, associate dean of students for diversity and inclusion and director of Counseling Services. “If our institution is to do as it says it will – embed anti-racism – we are also to recognize the historical role of factors like enslavement and its sequelae in contributing to why some Black students struggle academically and/or socially, instead of blaming the individual student or the student’s racial groups for their outcomes.” 

Carolyn Butts-Wilmsmeyer, PhD, director of the Center for Predictive Analytics (C-PAN) and associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, presented “Current Trends in Retention and Opportunities for Successful Intervention.” The report was a joint effort by C-PAN and the Office of Enrollment Management. 

In the report, Butts-Wilmsmeyer revealed numbers that showed one- and two-year retention rates for Black students, the second largest cohort at SIUE, as considerably lower than any other group on campus. For instance, across cohorts of students entering the University between 2013 to 2019, the one-year Black male retention rate, adjusted for high school grade point average (GPA), were approximately 6% lower than the campus average. 

The numbers are also similar when it comes to graduation rates. Based on 2020 graduation data, four-year graduate rates were 4.62% for Black males and 13.38% for Black females, compared to 30.89% overall. Likewise, five-year graduation rates were 16.78% for Black males and 22.57% for Black females, compared to 42.63% overall. Similarly, six-year graduation rates were 18.88% for Black males and 36.54% for Black females, compared to 50.61% overall. 

Suggested corrective measures included:

• Proactive recruitment at both undergraduate and graduate levels
• Enhanced academic and social support, expanded opportunities for student engagement
• Intentionally designed opportunities for engagement with diversity in the curriculum and co-curriculum
• Campus-wide diversity training and education for faculty, staff, students and administrators
• Revision of current and the adoption of new policies, procedures, and practices to advance anti-racism and inclusive excellence 

 Woven throughout the summit were the goals of the QI and the SIUE’s Anti-Racism Task Force (ARTF), convened by SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook in June 2020, which proposed short- and long-term actions that the University can take to dismantle racism on campus.  

“We want to make sure we are supporting our students to the best of our ability,” said Butts-Wilmsmeyer. “There is not a one-size-fits-all solution.” 

“I am glad to be part of a university that is willing to roll its sleeves up and get to work on such a crucial subject,” said Harris, “and is willing to bring about solutions that will make the entire community better and stronger.” 

Associate Provost Elza Ibroscheva, PhD, also served as a presenter. 

Following the presentations, the more than 140 participants were divided into the following breakout rooms for discussion and planning: recruitment, retention and graduation, graduate/professional students, and campus-wide training. 

Summit planning committee members included Harris, Boddie, Jamie Ball, JD, director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, Access and Title IX Coordination; Shane Taylor, director of development for Lovejoy Library and the School of Pharmacy; and Beth Giese, assistant director of University Marketing and Communications. 

Photo:
SIUE’s 2021 Virtual Diversity and Inclusion Spring Summit presenters and planning committee.
(Top L-R) Jamie Ball, JD, director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, Access and Title IX Coordination; Jessica Harris, PhD, vice chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Courtney Boddie, PhD, associate dean of students for diversity and inclusion and director of Counseling Services. (Bottom L-R) Carolyn Butts-Wilmsmeyer, PhD, Center for Predictive Analytics (C-PAN) and associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences; Beth Giese, assistant director of University Marketing and Communications; Elza Ibroscheva, PhD, associate provost, and Shane Taylor, director of development for Lovejoy Library and the School of Pharmacy.