About three-fourths of the National Association for College Admission Counseling's membership — composed largely of college enrollment officials and high school counselors — are White, according to a new report from the group calling for improved diversity in the field.

NACAC's research includes the results of four focus groups with 24 admissions professionals in secondary and postsecondary education.

Only a handful of the college-level participants reported their offices have pursued diversity, equity and inclusion efforts specifically for higher ed admissions officials. The most common practices they did report were providing training on these issues and hiring specialists to help diversify the student body.

However, in some cases, colleges may face pushback to this type of training. One institution fielded complaints from White staff members who called it reverse racism.

"Additional information to emphasize the importance of these trainings is needed from leadership," the report says of that college. "For now, the trainings have been suspended — they were 'brushed under the rug' rather than being dealt with head on."

Several institutions developed admissions-specific diversity roles in the past two years following the country's racial reckoning after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. However, two of the officials in the focus groups said those positions had been on their campuses for a decade.

In most cases, admissions staff with a diversity focus oversee scholarships and outreach to historically underserved communities. And certain applicants, including first-generation ones, are directed to these officials.

The field needs to be more representative of student bodies, the report states. It calls attention to a lack of Black men in admissions, noting at one college "the majority of men of color who students see are maintenance and janitorial staff, not administrative or managerial staff."

However, many institutions are challenged to find diverse candidates. Stressors brought on by the coronavirus pandemic — an exodus of employees known as the Great Resignation — compounded staffing challenges, three focus group participants reported.

The admissions field may struggle to attract a diverse workforce because college students who might otherwise go into admissions are often shepherded into higher-paying fields, the report suggests.

Read the full article about the lack of diversity in college admission staff by Jeremy Bauer-Wolf at Higher Education Dive.