http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/living/ ... 352728.htm

Posted on Thu, Aug. 11, 2005


Newm. targets Hispanicsan U
A new director of Hispanic admissions works to appeal directly to potential students' families in their native tongue.
BY KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH
The Wichita Eagle

In search of connections with her Hispanic roots, Lori Wilson Sabogal left Wichita to study at the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico at 23.

Five years later, she is putting her skills to work at Newman University as director of Hispanic admissions, a newly created position.

Sabogal, who started in February, is working to enroll more Hispanics at the university, and serving as an adviser to students already on campus.

"In the past, Hispanics have been looked at as disadvantaged, but I just know so many that have been very successful," said Sabogal, 28. "But we have to realize they do have specific needs."

Sabogal is part of a growing trend among universities to target specific cultural groups to diversify enrollment. Newman also has recruiters focusing on international students from Europe and Asia.

Wichita State University has an admissions representative for students of color, although that category is not broken out by race or ethnicity.

Kansas State University's dean of student life, Pat Bosco, said his school hired a Spanish-speaking recruiter a couple of years ago to focus on Latinos and has printed many of its publications in Spanish.

The University of Kansas held several sessions in Spanish in western Kansas this year to educate Hispanic parents about college life.

Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, said such targeted recruiting is not unusual, whether it is by ethnic group or athletic ability.

"It's not uncommon to have very active outreach and programs to target specific groups," he said.

Newman's Latino student population is inching up. Last fall the incoming freshman class was 12 percent Hispanic.

Overall, 7 percent, or 156, of the university's 2,239 students were Latino.

The university also has a summer science program aimed at Latino high school students. The Hispanic Scholar Program was created by professor Surendra Singh, to prepare Latino students for college.

President Aidan Dunleavy said the university is trying to emphasize a more global curriculum and is working to recruit more international students.

Sabogal's mother is Hispanic and from south Texas; her father is from Moline, Kan.

After high school, Sabogal went to work in south Texas for Southwestern Bell, and wanted to communicate better with Spanish-speaking clients.

Though her mother is a Spanish teacher at Augusta High School and an instructor at Butler Community College, Sabogal didn't really learn Spanish until the past few years.

"My entire life she wanted me to learn," Sabogal said. "Spanish was her first language."

Barely older than the students she serves, she recently completed her bachelor's degree at WSU while working in the Office of International Education.

Sabogal already has attended an international college fair in Chile and plans to recruit students in Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, Mexico, Chile and Argentina over the next two semesters.

It is also important to reach Latinos through the Catholic Church, she said. Newman is a Catholic university.

Outreach is often different with Latinos than with students from other backgrounds, Sabogal said.

"I think with Hispanics it can be more about talking with the parents over some pan dulce," or sweet bread, she said. "The family is important. I don't think I could do this without speaking Spanish."

Sabogal has made it a point to attend community events hosted by organizations such as the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and SER Corp., a nonprofit work force training organization.

"She's an ambassador to the community," Dunleavy said.

Sabogal has recently helped students establish a chapter of the Hispanic American Leadership Organization. She emphasizes to students that "somos una familia": We are a family.

"We want to be a support group," she said. "We want to have fun and make a difference."

Abigail Rich, 20, who's from Louisiana, said she thinks it is important to have a position like Sabogal's on campus.

"Not only is she pressing within Newman University, but she's also doing it in the community," Rich said. "She really likes to get students involved. She takes us out to eat. We constantly talk about issues.... Students look up to her."