CALS | Academic Student Affairs (ASA)> Prospective Students > Diversity Education Program

The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is committed to developing and maintaining diversity. The assistant dean for minority affairs serves as the contact person for the College. The assistant dean focuses on underrepresented and international student populations in the areas of recruitment and retention.

This effort includes:

• Promoting awareness and understanding of diversity issues.
• Increasing the student of color population within the College.
• Being visible at orientation programs and mentoring activities within the College and campus-wide.

The assistant dean provides resource information to students and staff, works on campus climate issues, conducts campus-wide workshops in the areas of academic survival and diversity, and is an ally for students of color and international students. The assistant dean is also responsible for coordinating and administering a recruitment and retention plan for undergraduate minority students, in cooperation with other office staff who work with prospective students and their families, campus admissions and program staffs, and other colleges. The assistant dean works with UW Pre-College programs, prepares activities and recruitment programs for prospective students, coordinates scholarship, internship, and employment offers, and advises the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) student organization.

Students come to CALS from all over the country and world; from small towns to big cities; from diverse ethnic backgrounds and first-generation households. We embrace diversity and are committed to your success in our College. Our underrepresented student population represents ten-percent of the undergraduate enrollment in the College, and we continue to strive to increase those numbers. Other services provided include assisting with academic skills, and providing research opportunities. The assistant dean works intensely on recruitment with the admissions office, high school administrators and teachers, as well as current UW students. The College also is an integral part of the UW mentoring program, the PEOPLE Pre-College initiative, Summer Collegiate Experience Program, TRIO, and the Academic Advancement Program (AAP).