The number of freshmen returning for their sophomore year is on the rise at Oklahoma colleges and universities, resulting in more students graduating from college sooner.
The findings are based on the annual Student Data Report recently released by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
Nancy Mergler, senior vice president and provost at OU, said a high retention rate is important to students for two reasons.
"One, because it is an index quality of the university and, two, because it shows the university's ability to meet students' expectations," Mergler said.
The six-year graduation rates for new freshmen who graduated from OU or Oklahoma State University have increased from 49.9 percent in 1995-96 to 60.1 percent in 2001-02, a 10.2 percent increase, according to the Student Data Report.
Mergler said one of the reasons OU has been successful in retaining students is due to programs the university has been implementing over the last decade.
"Programs such as the freshman Gateway program, the freshman seminars with specific topics, and online registration that allows students control over how and when they enroll are helping students adjust," Mergler said.
Sadiki Wilson, management information systems junior, said taking the Gateway class helped his college transition.
"It helped me meet new people and learn tips on how to adjust to college life," Wilson said. "I realized that if you're willing to make yourself study, college can be easy."
Paul Bell, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, who is on OU's retention task force, said another reason the retention rate has increased is due to OU's raising its admission standards.
"When you can raise the academic standards of students coming into the university, you get students who are better prepared to be successful in college," Bell said.
In 1999, the state regents created a program called Brain Gain 2010, a long-range plan to build the state's intellectual power and help move Oklahoma to the top one-third of all states for its educational and economic performance, according to the Brain Gain Summary Report of 1999.
In order to accomplish that goal, Oklahoma will have to double its expected growth rate of college degree holders age 25 or older. To do that at the bachelor's degree level, Oklahoma will need to add 203,000 degree holders to the population, 94,000 more than what is currently projected. At the associate's degree level, Oklahoma will need to add 140,000 degree holders, 70,000 more than currently projected.
The specific goal of Brain Gain 2010 calls for 28 percent of Oklahoma's population age 25 and older to hold a bachelor's degree or higher by 2010, and 10 percent of Oklahoma's population to hold an associate's degree, which will move Oklahoma to the top one-third of all states. In 1996, 20.1 percent of Oklahoman's held a bachelor's degree or higher and only 5 percent had an associate's degree, proving Oklahoma has a ways to go to accomplish its goal.
In order to help schools meet these goals, the state regents have recently begun rewarding institutions with funding based on their annual performance in five key areas, one of which is improving retention and graduation rates. This year, OU received about $356,000, Mergler said.
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