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Investigating applications from ethnically diverse to Central College: Using GIS To Shape Recruiting Strategies

Central College is a small liberal arts college located in Pella, IA. Given that Iowa=s population is 93.4% white, attempting to sustain a diverse campus community - at a time when there is an increased need throughout the US to enhance acceptance and understanding to adequately address increasingly complex issues- is a challenge. As one of its strategic goals, Central College has committed itself to increasing its diversity population. In addition to question of how to attract such a population to a small midwestern campus, the issues of where how and to find such a population becomes crucial. In this paper, we examine past diversity trends of inquires, applications and enrollment to Central College through the creation of a GIS database. We map the current distribution of ethnic diversity throughout the Midwest’s counties (including MN, MO, MI, ND, SD, KA, IL, WI) based on zip code areas, as well as the number of inquires over time from these areas, the applications these inquires yielded and the actual enrollment realized. By examining the past patterns in application and visualizing it in context with the target base, we hope to help direct recruiting strategies for the admissions office.