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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2014
PAGE 3
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OIRP: Graduation and retention rates increase
KATE MILLER
@ Kate Miller
Freshman retention and graduation rates are improving at the University, according to recently released data from the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP).
The retention rate for the class of freshmen that entered the fall of 2013 is 80.4 percent and the six-year graduation rate is now 59.9 percent, said Sara Thomas Rosen, senior vice provost for academic affairs. The numbers were calculated after the 20th day of classes this semester and have yet to be officially published on the OIRP website.
In order to calculate graduation rate, the University counts all of the first time, full-time freshmen it welcomes in a fall semester, said Ann Cudd, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies. This number is compared to the number of these students who graduate from the University four years later to create an accurate graduation rate.
Although some of these freshmen will enter into a professional school rather than graduate with a four-year bachelor's degree, OIRP only calculates the graduation rate for bachelor degree-seeking students. These students are removed from the statistics at the point at which they would have received a bachelor's degree.
The University calculates the graduation rate of up to six years for a given class. Cudd said this is because the national standard of comparison is six years, which factors in for a typical student's delay, be it multiple majors, studying
abroad or taking a year off.
The national rate of graduation after six years is 59 percent for public universities with open admissions, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The University's six-year rate is slightly higher than the national average at 59.9 percent, but the University has an even higher goal for the future: a 70 percent six-year graduation rate by 2020.
Graduation and retention rates have been rising and falling over the history of data collection by the OIRP—statistics on the website date back to 1996—but this year's increased rates come three years after the University implemented its Bold Aspirations strategic plan for progression and retention. The plan outlines the top priorities for both the Lawrence and Edwards campuses. Graduation and retention are listed within the first goal of the document.
Cudd and Rosen are responsible for overseeing the implementation and success of the Bold Aspirations plan from orientation to graduation. These programs include a redesign of KU Core courses, supplemental instruction opportunities, and close tracking of students' progress at the University.
"One of the things we're looking at in more detail now, less than retention, is what we call progression," Rosen said. "[With progression.] not only do [the freshmen] retain, but they enter into the University after one year as sophomores with 30 credits, and then into their third year with 60 credit hours, and their fourth year with 90 credit hours. If students
are progressing with at least 30 hours a year, they graduate at a higher rate."
While progression is one of the hurdles students face, there are several others. Cudd said she has seen two major reasons for the low graduation and retention rate among KU students.
"I would say the biggest obstacle is poor preparation for college work," she said. "A student who comes in needing to take remedial math — that is a real barrier on-on-time graduation and can be a real barrier to even graduating at all."
The second obstacle students tend to face is a lack of focus and motivation, Cudd said. Students who enter the University with little idea of what they want to do can explore their options for too long, delaying their progression rate.
"A lot of students struggle from the very beginning," she said. "To some extent, it is good to explore and find something that really fits you, but the longer it takes a student to find that focus, the more at risk they are for dropping out or leaving KU."
"As our admissions office would say, we're not trying to recruit students as freshmen to the campus — we're trying to recruit graduates," she said. "We're here to graduate students and send them on to their careers. We have to do everything we can to help students be successful."
The renewed focus on retention and overall graduation rate has changed the way the University looks at recruitment, Rosen said.
With the recent outbreaks of Ebola in the United States, hospitals are preparing to handle and contain any possible outbreaks.
On Oct. 13, The University of Kansas Hospital reported that an individual called and visited the hospital with a high fever and other serious symptoms. The patient had recently worked on a medical boat off the west coast of Africa and was immediately isolated in a special infectious disease unit to undergo various tests. The patient later tested negative for Ebola. This was the second person observed for having Ebola. The first patient turned out to have contracted malaria.
IN BRIEF University of Kansas Hospital prepared for Ebola outbreak
Edited by Andrew Collins
IN BRIEF
KU Hospital Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Lee Norman, a medical doctor of 35 years, has followed and studied Ebola since its first outbreak in the '70s.
He confirmed the hospital would be able to treat any possible Ebola patient, or any other infectious disease patient. The tests to confirm Ebola take around 48 hours to complete and any patient who is suspected of contracting Ebola would still be placed under the correct quarantine procedures until confirmed negative.
Currently, the hospital has an Ebola treatment unit which was set up in time to handle the second patient who was suspected of having Ebola. Norman said the hospital's air
"The unit is very thought out for infection control purposes", Norman said.
filter is effective.
According to World Health Organization, Ebola is difficult to distinguish from other infectious diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever and meningitis. The only way to confirm that the symptoms (which include vomiting, fever, impaired liver and kidney function, and possible internal bleeding) is to perform a series of tests, such as an antigen-capture detection test or a serum neutralization test. These tests are performed under maximum biological containment to ensure that the virus isn't spread.
WHO also said health care workers who are tending to patients that are under observation for possibly having Ebola should take extra precautions to prevent contact with the patient's blood and body fluids and contaminated surfaces — for example, bedding or clothing. When in close contact, they also recommend that health care workers should wear face protection such as medical masks and goggles, gloves, and a long-sleeved gown.
"It is really critical that people keep their wits about them," Norman said. "This doesn't mean we let our guard down about Ebola, but we have to keep it in perspective because there are a lot more dangerous things out there than Ebola."
— Maegan Bull
Next week is the last week to get a flu vaccine on campus. Check studenthealth.ku.edu for details.
TESTS FROM PAGE 1
"It sucks that we have to take it all over again on such short notice," Kastner said. "But it was a good decision to mediate between fairness for the students and the department."
While the department insists it's doing the best it can to take care of the students affected by the incident, not everyone is fully satisfied with how things have been handled. Kyle Gegen, a senior from Nowthen, Minn., wants to see more communication between the department and the students going forward.
"It hasn't been a very transparent process," Gegen said. "All week we've just been getting random comments from our professor, but I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to have more transparency in the process."
Edited by Alyssa Scott
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