CAMPUS NEWS
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11/08/01
President Hardee Spearheads College's
Increased Minority Recruitment Efforts
NOVEMBER 08, 2001 - "On the road
again," may well be the refrain running through
Sherman College President Jerry L. Hardee's head
lately as he travels to numerous historically
black colleges and other institutions throughout
the southeast with strong minority enrollments
to educate students about the rewards of a
career in chiropractic. As the first African
American to head one of the nation's
chiropractic colleges, Hardee hopes to use his
highly visible leadership position to impact the
growth of minority interest in the profession.
"Although the number of women in the profession
has grown from about 13 percent to almost 20
percent in the past 15 years, minority
representation in the field continues to lag way
behind," Hardee says. According to 1998 National
Board of Chiropractic Examiners data, more than
93 percent of practicing chiropractors are
Caucasian and fewer than one percent are African
American.
"We need to continue to build female enrollment
and minority enrollment if the profession is
going to grow and thrive in the future," says
Hardee. "We need to expand into new demographic
markets and build on our traditional student
base comprised largely of white males referred
into the profession by a practicing
chiropractor."
"Many students first become exposed to the
rewards of a chiropractic career through a
mentor who is a practicing chiropractor," Hardee
explains. "The lack of African American and
other minority role models among doctors of
chiropractic today makes it more difficult to
mentor prospective minority students." Hardee
calls for greater outreach efforts in the
nation's colleges and high schools to get the
chiropractic message directly to students.
Toward that end, he has traveled to more than 10
colleges this fall and plans many more
recruitment trips in the coming months. In
addition to addressing students, especially
those enrolled in science and health-related
undergraduate majors, he is also visiting with
college career counselors, health science
profession advisors and science faculty to
inform them about of the opportunities available
in chiropractic and the academic background
needed for admission to a chiropractic college.
He is also working proactively with the American
Black Chiropractic Association (ABCA) and
recently served as the keynote speaker for the
ABCA's annual convention in Minnesota.
Working with the college's public relations
office, Hardee is reaching out to
representatives from the African American media
to spread the message about the need for more
minorities in the profession.
He is also exploring how he might connect with
large church conferences and conventions that
typically represent primarily minority
congregations. "I plan to use every avenue
available to me to build enrollment at Sherman
College in general, and to attract more
minorities into the profession. The results will
be a real win-win for all concerned. If we
educate minorities about the advantages of a
chiropractic career - from being a small
business owner to serving humanity and making an
attractive salary - they will be positioned to
reap these rewards for themselves. And Sherman
College will increase its influence in the
profession," he said.
- If you are interested in getting involved in
student recruitment efforts at the college,
please contact the Admission Office at
800-849-8771, ext. 1222, or e-mail admissions@sherman.edu.
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