Toward an agent-based simulation of the factors impacting diversity within a college student body

Colleges worldwide have identified racial diversity as a vital dimension of their educational experience. Institutions might increase their level of diversity by addressing the problem of perceived social estrangement among minorities: studies have shown that this is an important factor in minority retention. One approach is to deliberately construct integrated social groups for students at the beginning of their college experience. These early interactions, aimed at reducing the social segregation of the population, may lead to lasting friendships between students of different races, and then bear further fruit later as different cultures and attitudes interact in positive ways. In this paper we describe an agent-based simulation of a college student body in which students form dyadic and group connections and change their preferences in response to their peers. We describe how the model can be used to study the impact of institutional policies on overall degree of segregation.