UA administrators serious about keeping freshmen in school

Historically, 24 percent of freshman will not return to the UA for their second year of college. That's about 1,200 members of this year's new freshman class.

While many factors - some unavoidable - contribute to the number of students who leave the UA without a degree, administrators and student leaders say they will strive to maximize retention.

"We have had a sizable number of students not stay at the university," said Michael Gottfredson, vice president for undergraduate education. "One of the questions we need to answer is, 'How come?'"

Freshmen run the highest risk of leaving college prematurely, and many drop out during their first semester, Gottfredson said. "That led to a larger focus in the Office of Undergraduate Education on the first-year experience," he said.

His office and the Student Research Office are preparing a report on student retention that will be sent to deans, faculty senators, President Peter Likins' cabinet and other members of the community later this week.

The 27-page working paper is intended to stimulate discussion about graduation and retention rates, Gottfredson said.

The report outlines initiatives such as improving advising, raising admissions requirements, increasing financial aid, adding residence hall space and expanding summer programs like New Start, which introduces new minority students to the UA, as the keys to improving retention and graduation rates.

Often, staff and faculty members don't know where to send students who need advice about their major, minor and general education requirements, Associated Students President Tara Taylor said.

"For freshman students, this can be really frustrating," said Taylor, who was a resident assistant at Coronado Hall as a sophomore and said she saw the problem firsthand. "Students just want to throw in the towel because of the academic rat race. One semester becomes two semesters, then you're a year behind. That definitely relates to retention; that relates to graduation rates and the length of time that people are here," Taylor said.

The Freshman Year Center in Bear Down Gym Room 102 is a "one-stop information center for freshmen," said Sylvia Mioduski, director of the Freshman Year Center and the University Learning Center. It provides major exploration for undecided students as well as information and advising, and also offers free tutoring in the Park Student Union on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., she said.

"It identifies a place where any freshman can at least start, even though advising may not happen for them in the Freshman Year Center," Mioduski said.

Despite the UA's efforts, students have the responsibility to prepare themselves adequately for the transition to college, Gottfredson said.

Students often leave college when they feel academically overwhelmed, said Lori Goldman, director of admissions.

The UA's tougher admission standards mean freshmen are better prepared and more likely to complete their degrees, Goldman said. The phenomena started with this year's freshman class and requires additional high school math, science, foreign language and arts classes.

"The best predictor of retention is how well the students did in high school and how they can show through achievement tests how they can retain that kind of information," said Saundra Taylor, vice president for student life and human resources. "It's not foolproof, but it's a predictor."

In the UA's retention report, data compiled from universities nationwide shows a correlation between the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen and the percentage of the school's graduates within five years.

Generally, no more than 60 percent of students at schools with average SAT scores near 1,000 graduated in that time frame, while 80 percent to 90 percent graduated at schools with averages of 1,150 to 1,200.

The average SAT score of the UA's new freshmen slowly increased over the past several years, from 1,088 in fall 1991 to 1,094 last year.

Goldman expects the scores climb more.

"We're not going to see it this year," she said. "We'll see a bigger increase than there has been the last 10 years; I would expect to see the increase will grow just a tiny bit."