College retention emphasized nationally as IU abandons Gradpact

The U.S. Department of Education announced in December it will emphasize raising retention rates in higher education while working with Congress in the next year to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.\nThe federal government is taking a stronger interest in college retention rates since the number of students graduating in four years has dropped 15 percent within the past years, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.\nWith IU's decision to abolish the Gradpact program in December, IU advisers are looking to other methods to increase retention rates of its own students.\nGradpact was designed to help students graduate on time, but will be discontinued due to financial conflicts with the new scheduling software, Peoplesoft.\nHeath, Physical Education and Recreation adviser Harriet Castrataro suggests targeting students early on to ensure they have a well thought out course plan. \n"I think a lot of the dropouts are sophomores and freshmen," Castrataro said. "I think more can be done during the freshman year to help retain them, such as students getting involved in service learning to make them feel more of a part of the community."\nDeciding one's major early on can also impact a student's college career, Castrataro said. \n"If students are enrolled in classes that apply to their majors earlier on, then it can make a difference as well," Castrataro said. "I think a little more career opportunities discussed in classes would help as well. That way they could get right into their major and set up a plan for college."\nBloomington Advisers Council president and Chemistry adviser Steve Wietstock said although Gradpact didn't work out, programs like it can be used to help other universities.\n"The course maps that we used in Gradpact can be an effective tool in helping students graduate in four years," Wietstock said. "Colleges and universities need to continue Gradpact-like maps and documents to assist students in their course selections."\nCastrataro agreed that course maps can be helpful, but insists Gradpact should not be revived.\n"I think it was a good idea to ensure a student will be able to graduate in four years," Castrataro said. "In actuality, it didn't work for everyone. People change majors and Gradpact has a lot of restrictions."\nStill, some universities are implementing programs similar to Gradpact. At Iowa, nearly three out of four freshmen signed Gradpact-like contracts, according to the school's Web site. The University's four-year graduation rate has risen to 37 percent, from about 30 percent in 1995, when the program first started.\nIU's four-year graduation rate has risen as well, but Wietstock said the students receive more credit for that feat.\n"Also, students need to be aware and active in their own academic program," Wietstock said. "If you look at the statistics, only a third of students remained in Gradpact, yet students were graduating early. That shows you awareness in your course path helps."\nNoting that the number of undergraduates taking more than six years to graduate rose to 30 percent in 1993, colleges across the country have focused on student retention, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. College leaders and legislators in several states, including Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Texas, are looking for ways to encourage more students to graduate on schedule. Some universities are considering forcing students to seek permission before taking light course loads. \n"If America's four-year colleges take five or six years to complete, they shouldn't be referred to as four-year colleges," Eugene W. Hickok Jr., the U.S. Under Secretary of Education, told the Chronicle of Higher Education. "At the very least, that lack of alignment needs to be addressed."\nYet, some people disagree with the Bush administration's policy of rewarding colleges simply for graduating students on time.\n"The quality of education is important too," Castrataro said. "We don't want to water down our education just to get them graduated quicker."\nStill, the idea is already being practiced at the state level. Pennsylvania awarded $6 million in grants to colleges that graduated at least 40 percent of their in-state students within four years. \nMany say the program is unnecessary because the federal government should remain out of education, but IU political science professor Edward Carmines disagrees.\n"Ever since the 1960s, the federal government has taken a more active role in education," Carmines said. "It is now more of a partnership between states and the federal government"