College Studying Diversity

— NorthWest Arkansas Community College can do a better job of attracting more minorities to its staff, several members of the Board of Trustees said Monday.

About 12.5 percent of the college’s 449 employees are minorities compared to 16 percent of the region’s population, according to numbers provided during a presentation on diversity at Monday’s board meeting.

“We can do better,” said Daniel Shewmaker, a board trustee. “It’s important. We need to represent our population base.”

Beverly Hill, the college’s employee relations and diversity manager, said the school’s ultimate goal is to get the most qualified candidate for each position. Candidate pools are reviewed to identify qualified minority candidates, and search committees are encouraged to interview those people.

Over the past 12 months, 13.8 percent of the college’s new full-time hires were minorities, Hill said.

College President Becky Paneitz said competition for minority candidates is tough. Also, while the college has money to fly in job candidates for dean-level positions and higher, the budget for bringing in lower-level candidates is limited.

“Then you’ve got to convince them to come,” Paneitz said.

Wendi Cadle, human resources director, said the college’s faculty turnover rate is “very low.”

Paneitz said the college is making progress on the matter.

“It’s something we have to pay attention to,” she said.

Among the college’s students, 74 percent speak English at home, 21 percent speak Spanish and 2 percent speak Marshallese, according to figures provided Monday. The college counted 1,169 students of Hispanic heritage in the fall, or 14 percent of total enrollment.

The college also saw a huge jump in the number of students of two or more races — from 11 to 109 — between fall 2011 and fall 2012.

In other college-related news, total enrollment stood at 8,105 as of Feb. 6, a decrease of 1.4 percent over nearly the same time a year ago.

The past fall, the college saw its first enrollment decrease from one fall semester to the next in its 22-year history. Enrollment dropped by 187 students, or 2.2 percent.

Paneitz said 15 of the state’s 22 community colleges also saw enrollment declines this year. She said she expects enrollment to stay flat next year.

A change in the way state lottery scholarships are awarded could affect enrollment. Pending legislation would alter the scholarship formula such that all college students would receive $2,000 for their first year of school. Currently, students at four-year schools receive $4,500 per year whereas students at two-year schools, such as community colleges, receive $2,250.

“Ever since the lottery came along, we’ve seen our enrollment stagnate, then decline,” said Jim Hall, director of governmental and community relations. The pending bill, Hall said, creates a “level playing field” for two-year schools.

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