Bellevue College in Washington State is holding a Black/African-American College Information Night for the purpose of recruiting African American students to the educational institution. Students and their families are invited to the college for information sessions on admissions, financial aid, academics, and college live. James Bible, president of the Seattle chapter of the NAACP is giving the keynote address.
All middle and high school students are eligible to attend. Free child care will be offered to guests with young children and all attendees will receive a free dinner.
“This kind of outreach is extremely helpful in communicating to students of color that college is a realistic and attainable goal,” said Yoshiko Harden, vice president of diversity at Bellevue College. “It’s about trying to dismantle institutional and individual barriers that stand in their way. We also want our college to reflect the communities that we serve, and making sure that college is accessible to all is something we take very seriously.”
Bellevue College reports that during the 2010-11 academic year, African Americans were 7.2 percent of the 14,000-member student body.
