Retention plan expected to increase graduation rate

The GC&SU Retention Committee drafted a retention plan to increase the six-year graduation rate, which was 37 percent in 1998. The six-year graduation rate reflects the number of students who graduate with a four-year degree within six years.

Chair of the GC&SU Retention Committee Dr. Ken McGill said that there is a state initiative to raise retention rates at all universities in Georgia. The retention rate “of most interest to the Board of Regents right now is the six year graduation rate.”

“It’s fine that we retain students, but it’s better that we graduate students,” said McGill.

Low retention rates stem from students losing the HOPE scholarship and transferring to other universities.

“A lot of this is precipitated by HOPE,” said McGill. “What we’re really trying to do to get students to graduate on time is to (get students to) recognize the value of their education here. And if they may lose the HOPE scholarship, there are other ways of staying here.”

Not all students considering transferring are concerned about the loss of the HOPE scholarship. Freshman and mass communication major Erin Gianferrara is thinking of transferring because of the location of GC&SU.

“I’m thinking of transferring,” said Gianferrara. “I couldn’t see myself going here for four years because (Milledgeville) is really small. I really like the school. I just don’t like the town at all.”

The committee hopes to implement all plans by 2007 and is initiating pilot projects to measure the success of these plans.

“What we’ve done is launched some pilot projects where we’re looking to see if this helps with retention. And if it does, then we’ll put forth the effort to making it a university policy,” McGill said.

Many of the pilot projects deal with academics and advising strategies.

“We’re developing an advising center that will help focus on (freshmen) specifically and their needs,” McGill said.

Senior Director for Advising and Retention Shaina McGill said four faculty volunteers have joined the staff of the Center for Student Success to help direct students towards the best academic resources for their needs.

“Many times what we find, particularly with our first year students, is that they have an issue that has a sense of immediacy to them,” said Shaina McGill. “And they struggle if they don’t know where to go.”

Shaina McGill hopes to prevent this problem with first year students by creating an advising center with professional and faculty advisors.

Supplemental instruction is a pilot program that began fall semester of 2005 and is led by upper class students in order to help other students relate to material.

“The environment is a little more relaxed,” Shaina McGill said. “It’s a form of supplementing exactly what (students) were presented material-wise in class and going over it again to make sure the student has learned it before they move on to the next area.”

A student of a physics supplemental course, Caiti Butts, explained that the class was beneficial and similar to a study session.

“(My instructor) expands more on the subject,” said Butts, sophomore and mathematics major. “He knows how to explain it more in our terms.”

With these projects and the aid of beneficial resources to students, McGill plans to have a higher retention rate at GC&SU.

“I think our biggest responsibility with all of this is to empower the students to develop the skills to be successful here,” said Shaina McGill

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 16 2005. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry