By Jonathan Hiser
Think of 10 of your friends at UP. Chances are that by the start of next year, at least one of them will have dropped out, according to recent campus statistics.
Currently, 14.3 percent of students do not return to UP each year, a number that UP President, the Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., would like to see lowered. For this purpose, the University launched the Presidential Task Force on Retention in April 2008 to investigate student retention.
On Feb. 16, students outside of the task force will have a chance to voice their suggestions and questions about student retention in a forum in St. Mary's Student Lounge from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. A second forum for faculty and staff will be held earlier that day.
Task force member Mike Walsh, Residence Life Director, said the forums are intended to be a way to obtain a comprehensive sample of voices from across campus, as both groups play important roles in retaining students.
Task force chair the Rev. Stephen Rowan, C.S.C., Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, said he hopes the forum will provide input on ideas presented by the committee, as well as new thoughts not yet considered.
"We want to throw the net wide and look for converging ideas," Rowan said.
UP's current retention rate of 85.7 percent is below those of its peer institutions, such as Gonzaga University, Santa Clara University and Seattle University, which report levels closer to 91 percent, according to Rowan.
An issue that perplexes Rowan and other fellow officers is that indicators of high retention rates, such as having strong dorm communities, are by and large already present on campus.
"It gets our attention, because 85.7 percent is something that mystifies us," Rowan said. "When our sister universities have a retention rate of 91 percent, we have an honest question to ask: why do students leave UP?"
Task force member Kyle Bunch, ASUP President, said the University's rate is still acceptable, but notes that the committee's creation was a sign that UP wants to do better.
"The point is not that we aren't doing well, but that we want to put ourselves with, if not above, our sister universities," Bunch said.
The task force has investigated various reasons that may contribute to UP's current retention rate, and not just those commonly voiced by students.
"One of the most popular reasons students will tell us that they leave for financial reasons," Rowan said. "But many times they tell you financial aid so that you don't pry into their private reasons. That's why you have to push a little harder."
Rowan said he hopes students will not be reluctant to share their views, come Monday. To ease the discussion process, 10 ASUP senators are scheduled to open the forum with a presentation of their constituents' feelings and ideas about UP's retention policy.
Rowan said that the Task Force was composed of a diverse group of faculty staff and students. The group is divided into eight subcommittees, each of which explores a different area of life at UP that could affect students' decisions to stay or leave.
Bunch, who is the only student member on the committee, said student input is in fact largely incorporated into the committee, noting that most sub-committees are made up predominantly of students.
"The purpose of the Task Force is to be a small, efficient group, but that doesn't mean I'm the only student giving input," Bunch said.
Having met biweekly since October, the Retention Task Force plans to present its report at the end of April. Some of its recommendations are already being adopted, though.
In light of the tasks force's findings, the School of Business plans eliminate calculus as a requirement for marketing and management, accounting and global business majors, according to Rowan.
"It's not so much about making it easier, but about removing speed bumps on the road to degree completion," Rowan said.
Bunch said a freshman's experience during the first weeks on campus can greatly affect whether or not they stay until graduation. Bunch said he and the students on his subcommittee are working with Moreau Center officers and advisers to increase first-week immersion activities and to improve detection of early academic difficulties.
