University of Kansas admissions representatives will travel to Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City, Kan., this week as part of the Multicultural Road Show. The road show emphasizes recruitment of minority students at the University.

Kerri Lesh, Multicultural Road Show coordinator, said the road show was the spring spin-off of the Rock Chalk Road Show, which targeted recruitment in Western and Central Kansas in the fall.

“The difference is that the Multicultural Road Show is more focused,” said Lesh, who is also an admissions counselor. “It is tweaked as to who we are looking for and invite.”

Five admissions representatives will visit community centers, churches, boys and girls clubs, other nonprofit organizations, middle schools and high schools. The representatives will leave information about the University and meet with students to discuss the University as a possibility for them.

High school students in 9th to 12th grades are invited to a reception in the evening, usually at a school or banquet hall.

The reception includes representatives from the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics. Among topics discussed are KU traditions, athletics, academics and financial aid. The evening concludes with door prizes, refreshments and pictures with Baby Jay.

“It is a different approach to recruitment,” Lesh said. “The Multicultural Road Show focuses on nontraditional areas where the people targeted might not receive the information otherwise.”

The enrollment office has not gathered any official statistics, but the program has received a good response, said Claudia Mercado, assistant director of admissions and scholarships.

According to University Relations, in 2004 the number of minority first-time freshmen rose 10 percent, and the overall minority enrollment rose 4 percent.

“We don’t expect to see immediate results,” Mercado said. “If it was a program of direct results, it would be promoted to seniors rather than being marketed to those as young as 5th grade.