Airplanes. Whitewater rafts. Vans. A Chevy Tracker. And an attorney's case.
Spanning a gap of knowledge about UC Davis, they deliver a UC Davis presence to Southern California schools and bring students here to explore the campus with their own two feet.
Last weekend, for example, two vanloads of UC Davis students traveled south to share their experiences of studying and living in Davis with admitted students at three receptions. And on Wednesday, the first of more than 100 Los Angeles area high-school students flew in for one-day visits to the campus.
At a time of mandated enrollment growth, UC Davis is ratcheting up efforts to recruit students from Southern California - which accounts for about 60 percent of the state's high-school graduates and its largest share of African-American and Hispanic graduates. But the task is daunting. Last year, just over 5 percent of high-school seniors from California's nine southern most counties applied to UC Davis, and 15.7 percent of those who received offers of admission enrolled.
The planes, the rafts, the vans … they represent a variety of creative programs that are engaging faculty, staff, students and alumni to make the campus better known south of Bakersfield, correct misconceptions, and ultimately, improve those numbers. "Bridging the distance and informing so many Southern California students about what UC Davis has to offer is a tremendous task," said Leslie Campbell, who, as senior associate director of undergraduate admissions and outreach services, oversees Southern California recruitment.
The numbers say a lot about why we're there and the opportunities and the challenges the campus is up against.
UC has agreed to accommodate, over the next 10 years, about 60,000 additional students. UC Davis is engaged in long-term planning to absorb about 5,000 additional students - moving to an expected 31,000 in 2015.
With the pressure to recruit more students for each entering class come two others: maintaining the academic quality of the student body and enhancing its diversity to better reflect the population of the state.
The compass points south
California's nine most southern counties produce 59 percent of the state's high-school graduates, and Los Angeles County alone accounts for 25 percent of the state's graduates. But it's not only the numbers of graduating seniors that are impressive. The southern counties claim most of the top spots among counties with the most African-American and Hispanic high-school graduates.
Yield rates, however, tell a different story.
Of high-school seniors in the southern counties, 5.1 percent applied to UC Davis for fall 2001. Of those admitted, 15.7 or 907 enrolled. The figures are a stark contrast to those from most other regions, where respective figures are close to double or more.
Research conducted by the Office of Student Affairs Research and Information concludes that the Bay Area is our strongest market for total applicants, that our local and Bay Area markets combined have the same potential as Los Angeles County for Hispanic enrollments, and that the Bay Area offers the strongest potential for African-American enrollments.
Surveys of admitted students echo anecdotal evidence: Students from Southern California don't know much about UC Davis, consider it rural and boring, and question whether there's enough to do in the area after class.
"We need to raise our visibility and to increase awareness about the campus among high-school students, their parents and school counselors," Campbell said. "We have a responsibility to share all that UC Davis offers with UC eligible students throughout the state."
The planes, the planes
Getting Southern California students to visit the campus is a priority for Campbell. And that's just what was on the schedule Wednesday, when a group of students was to fly in from Los Angeles to tour the campus, attend presentations on housing and financial aid, go to class with current students and get a taste of downtown Davis at dinner time. Two more groups will come next week, for a total of 106 students.
Established in the early 1990s, the fly-in program used a $5,000 contribution from the Student Recruitment and Retention Center to expand by 50 percent this year. The program's total cost is about $20,000. Campbell is personally enthusiastic about it, because it's effective. Last year, 59 percent of the 68 admitted students flown to campus submitted a statement of their intent to register.
Luis Espinoza of La Puente is a prime example. This time last year, the first-generation college-goer knew almost nothing about Davis. His financial situation ruled out a visit, but participation in a pre-collegiate motivational program led to the free UC Davis trip. He now is a UC Davis freshman majoring in political science.
Have campus, will travel
During this busy season when the campus works to turn admitted students into enrolled students, UC Davis also hits the road and heads south. Last weekend and Monday, UC Davis hosted about 1,500 admitted students and their parents at four receptions in Los Angeles, Irvine and San Diego. Especially for those unable to travel to campus, Decision UC Davis receptions provide additional information about campus - and the personal touch. Over the last three years, the Southern California events have expanded to four, increased in attendance and involved more faculty and staff members in presentations - now about 12.
Among those participating last weekend was Ken Verosub, a professor of geology and director of the Davis Honors Challenge. "A lot of the students we admit have other options, so we have to get the word out about UC Davis," he said. "For students and their parents, it's important for them to see there are faculty strongly committed to undergraduate education."
Two vanloads of students from the Student Recruitment and Retention Center also played a role. Representing undergraduate colleges and programs focused on recruiting and retaining underrepresented students, they took part in panel discussions and mingled with guests.
Los Angeles traffic
Helping carry the UC Davis pennant in Southern California year-round are two resident outreach positions established three years ago. Nancy Saenz and Ricky Shabazz represent UC Davis at college fairs and motivational programs and advise community college students interested in transferring to UC Davis.
Saenz negotiates the traffic of L.A. in her Chevy Tracker to make school visits. Last fall, she put more than 4,000 UC Davis miles on the mini-SUV to visit 100 middle and high schools, colleges and community groups and connect with about 6,000 students.
"I really believe in promoting higher education to underrepresented groups that may not have had a lot of motivation or a role model," said the Southern California native who graduated from UC Davis in 1999.
The questions Saenz most often encounters: Where is Davis? Are there cows there? Is there anything to do? Always emphasizing academics, she answers by describing the character of the college town, sharing what resources are available on campus, and highlighting opportunities for involvement.
Here comes the judge
The number of schools and colleges to visit and the distance between them means Saenz and Shabazz need a little help from their friends. And when Judge Robert Brody of Burbank strides into a college fair toting a black attorney's case full of UC Davis literature, they know they have it. He is one of 79 trained Alumni Ambassadors representing UC Davis throughout the state and among those who attended 49 recruitment events in Southern California last year.
"I'm such a big Davis booster," said Brody, a 1983 graduate of King Hall who is now an ad-ministrative law judge. He has represented UC Davis at some seven events a year since 1995.
During the summer
A whitewater raft forms perhaps the most unexpected bridge between Southern Califor-nia and UC Davis. Rafting on the South Fork of the American River is a feature attraction for students visiting from L.A. area high schools. "The river and the rapids offer a metaphor," said Cindy Wunder, who coordinates summer programs for UC Davis' Early Academic Outreach Program. "How do you overcome the obstacles between you and college?"
The five-day program is part of a UC initiative begun in 1999 to increase the number of students from low-performing L.A. Basin schools who are competitive for admission. This summer, the program will bring 90 high-school students to campus - up 40 percent over 2001. The focus is academic preparation, motivation and exploration of college life. Students tour campus, stay in the dorms, take field trips and attend workshops. "It really broadens their perspective of what college is about," Wunder said.
UC Davis receives $120,000 a year from the Office of the President to operate its high-school program and sister programs for counselors and middle-school students. This year, the campus will use an extra 10 percent to fly 50 students from last summer's high-school program back to campus in May. Campbell said the return trip will allow the students to experience the campus not only during the academic year, but also during La Raza Cultural Days or Black Family Week.
Rafting was the draw for Lucia Rodriguez of El Monte, who participated in the first year of the high-school program.
"I knew absolutely nothing about UC Davis before my visit," she said. "The fact that you get to experience a college before you decide is great."
She is now a sophomore majoring in biological sciences. •