Wichita ? To broaden the makeup of its student body, Wichita State University is focusing its recruitment techniques ever more tightly.

The effort may be paying off, if 16-year-old Thu Vo’s experience is any indication.

A senior at Wichita East High School, she’s an attractive prospect for universities seeking to increase enrollment of Asian and other minority students.

She has narrowed her choice of universities to Wichita State, Kansas University, Friends University and Newman University.

On Friday, Wichita State made its pitch to her and 25 other Asian students from the area.

“I think I definitely want to go here,” she said.

Administrators hope to diversify Wichita State’s student population and make it the primary choice for students of all races in the area.

But “one size does not fit all” when it comes to recruiting various minority groups, said Ron Kopita, vice president for student affairs.

For example, he said, recruiting Hispanic students means working closely with their families because going to college often means that other members of the family sacrifice.

Sedgwick County’s Asian population grew by 2,412 from 2000 to 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

At Wichita State, the Asian enrollment bucked that trend. It grew from 2001 to 2002, reaching 970, but has fallen since then to 796 students.

The numbers of black and Hispanic students have been up and down from year to year during the same period.

Despite the change, one in four students on campus is an ethnic minority or international student, said Bobby Gandu, assistant director of the office of admissions.

Minority enrollment has increased nationwide, according to a report from the American Council on Education.

The report, released in October, shows that while the number of minority students has increased between 1993 to 2003, they are still outnumbered by their white counterparts.

To counter the trend, Wichita State hosts organized events for each minority group five times a year and an open house in the spring for minority students.

Administrators and university students answer questions and talk about programs on campus.

“We are deliberate on which students we invite because these are students who have a need,” Gandu said. “They want to see a face like theirs.”

The university will hire Asian, black and Hispanic students in the spring to work with the office of admissions to coordinate the best way to recruit students within their minority groups.