More students than ever are now enrolled at The University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

And the admissions department recently made changes to recruit a more diverse student population.

Joel Daboub, director of admissions and outreach for the NT Health Science Center, said the graduate school is competitive but it has created new openings for applicants so more students can attend.

Although there is not a high minority representation at the center, there are steps being taken to recruit more minorities and to get more people interested in the medical field.

"Diversity is not only ethnic, it can be experience, culture, anything different that can be brought to class," Daboub said.

Kay Colley, acting director of marketing and communication for the NT Health Science Center, said the center has an outreach program that addresses the shortage of minority students by creating programs directed at recruiting more underrepresented minorities.

Colley said the center has planned on the recent growth for some time and has prepared by buying the neighboring property as well as budgeting for expenses.

Also contributing to the admissions growth of the center are two programs: Schools' Cooperative

Opportunities for Resources and Education, designed to train and support biomedical graduate students at the center to serve as enhanced curriculum resources with high school biology students and teachers in the Fort Worth Independent School Distric.

Minority K-12 Initiative for Teachers and Students, which targets elementary students who might be interested in the science or medical field.

This can be a recruiting tool because kids seem to know what they want to do by the fifth grade, Colley said.

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