When the College released the number of early acceptances last month, the 22 Native American students accepted into the Class of 2003 stood in sharp contrast to this year's low number of early African-American acceptances.
The number of early Native American acceptances has been steadily increasing for the past four years. With numbers typically being in the low 20s for total matriculation of Native American students each year, this fall's unusually high number of early acceptances could prove significant for the incoming class.
"I'm excited about this year being a really big year for Native American recruitment," said Assistant Director of Admissions Shelley Arakawa.
Arakawa, who is the interim coordinator of Native American recruiting, attributes the rise in applicants to the unusual success of this past year's Native American Fly-In program, which seeks qualified Native American applicants from across the nation and funds their visit to Dartmouth.
Forty students participated in the program this year -- a number almost double the number of students that take part in the program each year, Arakawa said.
"I thought the effort was really more of a wide-spread, joint effort," Arakawa said. "Everyone really rallied this year."
Students who participate in the three-day program sit in on classes and attend admissions and financial aid information sessions.
The participants also attended a Dartmouth football game, courtesy of free tickets from Dartmouth College Athletic Department.
Sponsors included the Native American Program and the Native Americans at Dartmouth, whose members pitched in to house the prospective students.
The Fly-In, however, is not the only program available to prospective Native American students.
Alumni nationwide also hold fairs targeted to Native American students, where they explain to the students' families and tribes that the College has a unique combination of resources and support for its Native American population.
"Our main goal is to get the word out that Dartmouth is a school that cares about Native Americans, that has a history with Native Americans and that has high Native American graduation rates," Arakawa said.
Dartmouth's charter, signed by King George III of England in 1769, dedicated the College to "the education and instruction of Youth of the Indian Tribes in this Land in reading, writing and all parts of learning which shall appear necessary and expedient."
Compared to the rest of the schools in the Ivy League, Dartmouth has a slightly higher Native American student population. Less than one percent of the student populations at Brown, Columbia and University of Pennsylvania identify themselves as Native American.
At Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Princeton, one percent of the students identify themselves as Native American.
Dartmouth, however, has a Native American population of two percent.
