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Tribune Uses Wrong Graduation Yardstick

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By RENU KHATOR

Published: November 30, 2007

In your editorial on Nov. 21, you criticized the University of South Florida for focusing on a modern six-year graduation rate for students, rather than the four-year curriculum defined in a paradigm established long ago. The editorial was off the mark for several reasons.

First, the national standards established by the U.S. Department of Education for measuring graduation rates are three years to earn an associate of arts degree and six years to earn a bachelor's degree. This recognizes that the overwhelming majority of today's college students are not enrolled full-time for eight consecutive semesters. Even students who receive federal financial aid are expected to contribute financially to pay for their cost of college. Most college students today work between 10 and 40 hours a week along with attending classes, studying, participating in co-curricular activities and more.

USF is both accountable and realistic about the lives of today's college students. We've always been very proud to serve a more nontraditional, first-generation, metropolitan student than the original "flagship" state institutions. Our students have had to work to contribute to their cost of college while attending classes. These are factors that cause students to take fewer courses each semester thus taking longer to graduate.

Second, there is a direct relationship between students' success during their first year of college and their subsequent graduation rates. A recent national study found that for every one percentage point increase in first-year retention rate and success of new freshmen, there is a two percent increase in graduation rates. If a student successfully completes the first year of college, the chances of the student graduating - three, four or five years later - is substantially increased.

Our first-year retention rate has fluctuated in the 80 percent range for years, but increased 1 percent in the past year. At the same time, the freshmen class at USF for the fall of 2007 has the strongest academic qualifications of any in the institution's history.

Meanwhile, our four-year graduation rate has increased 1 percent and our five- and six-year graduation rates have both increased 2 percent during the past three years.

Student success is our top priority. We're using several proactive measures that we believe are contributing to the retention and eventual graduation of our students, including:

• Higher admission standards for new freshmen,

• An increased number of academic advisors at the freshman level,

• Earlier registration of students for subsequent semesters,

• Increased proactive intervention with students who demonstrate a risk of not academically succeeding or losing scholarships to support their studies,

• A new office to help first-year students get connected to the university, and other proactive services and programs.

By the fall of 2009, all first-year freshmen from outside of Tampa Bay will be required to live on campus, another factor that contributes to retention and graduation.

Yes, we have high aspirations for our university. One of them is to become an AAU member. To achieve this goal, we must improve in many categories including graduation rate. We are making progress one student, one class, one semester at a time.

We think it's wonderful when students have the drive and enjoy financial circumstances that allow them to graduate in four years. But that's not the norm anymore, and we're here to provide access and success to the future leaders of the 21st century.

As you pointed out, what gets measured gets done. We don't believe that the Tribune should hold the yardstick for today's college students based on an outdated historical pattern.

Renu Khator, Ph.D., is provost and senior vice president at the University of South Florida.

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