A comparison of recruitment material sent to minority and non-minority applicants from four-year universities

This study reports on an exploratory field experiment conducted using recruitment material from 52 four-year universities/colleges throughout the United States. The purpose of the study was to identify: (1) the number of items of recruitment material being distributed to minority and non-minority applicants, (2) if there are any differences in the number of items of recruitment material being sent to minority and non-minority applicants by private and public institutions, and (3) if there are any differences in the number of items being distributed from different geographical regions of the United States and the different federal court circuits. The minority population continues to grow and yet the representation of minorities in the nation's institutions of higher education does not reflect the growth in population. The changes brought on by the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s opened many doors for minorities in education, and yet in the millennium many educational opportunities may no longer be possible for many minorities. Rulings in reverse discrimination cases are threatening to eliminate affirmative action programs in higher education throughout the United States. Institutions fearing the threat of possible reverse discrimination litigation have changed or eliminated many minority educational assistance programs. Many of these same institutions promise to continue to work toward increasing minority enrollment. The results of this study indicate that many institutions of higher education are not using recruitment material to target minorities. The data gathered through this study also indicates that the recruitment effort promised by many institutions of higher education may not have their full commitment.