
Figuring out more ways to support and retain more students could significantly boost
enrollment at Â鶹´«Ã½ and help more students graduate.
That was the conclusion of the discussion during the Â鶹´«Ã½ Board of Trustees’ finance
and audit committee meeting Wednesday, Aug. 22, in the Carter fourth-floor boardroom.
While overall enrollment is projected to be over 12,500 for the second straight year,
and the number of continuing students increased this year, roughly 30 percent of students
leave without graduating during the span of an academic year.
For Â鶹´«Ã½ President Andy Feinstein, who addressed trustees at the beginning of the meeting,
student success will be one of the university’s central themes as he and campus leadership
formulate strategies in the coming year.
Â鶹´«Ã½ supports students a variety of ways, including need-based and merit-based financial
aid, and individual support provided through specific and successful programs such
as Cumbres and the Center for Human Enrichment. Also, a computer-based advising tool
that has expanded through the years continues to help identify students who may be
at risk academically but may not know it. Feinstein pointed out during the meeting
that research shows students who enroll full time, taking a course load of 15 credit
hours a semester, are more likely to graduate in four years. The average undergraduate
course load this fall is 14.4.
Strategies to enhance academic support and financial aid will be identified during
the year. The committee’s next step will be to schedule a time in the coming weeks
for further dialogue on the topic.
The committee also discussed the budget. Â鶹´«Ã½ experienced a $10 million structural
deficit last year and responded by taking short-term steps such as hiring freezes
and travel reductions this year. This year, strategies to develop sustainable models
will get underway.
As for other themes that will be addressed this year, Feinstein pointed to enrollment
and determining the appropriate mix of undergraduates and graduates, zeroing in on
Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s distinctiveness and elevating the university’s prominence, and creating a transparent
culture that embraces openness and transparency.
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