We've got minorities, yes we do: visual representations of racial and ethnic diversity in college recruitment materials

Abstract

Colleges and universities have expanded their use of the internet and social media in marketing strategies, but the direct mailing of admissions brochures continues to be at the heart of recruitment efforts. Because admissions brochures often serve as a potential student's introduction to the campus, they are carefully crafted to provide a specific impression of the institution. This study examined one aspect of the marketing of colleges by examining the portrayal of racial and ethnic diversity. Through a content analysis of over 10,000 photographs from 165 four-year institutions in the US, the accuracy of the photographic portrayal of diversity in recruitment materials was assessed. Findings indicate that the majority of institutions provided images of diversity to prospective students in 2011 that were significantly different than the actual student body. Furthermore, diversity was typically symbolized by portraying African American students at higher rates rather than presenting a more representative student body.

Keywords:

• College recruitment
• higher education
• marketing
• campus diversity
• race and ethnicity

Notes

† We would like to gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Jacob Cooper for his assistance in data collection. We would also like to thank Angela High-Pippert, Barbara McMorris, David Matz and the anonymous reviewers at JMHE for their input on this project.