A year after Brigham Young University President Rex Lee challenged students to graduate in four years, the university will begin implementing steps and procedures to assist students in reaching that goal.
John Tanner, an associate academic vice president, is the point man for several university committees trying to streamline courses while enhancing the overall college experience. More than a half-dozen committees are working on the solution, Tanner said.The committees are trying to "look at the importance of all that we (BYU) do and all that the students do," said Tanner, adding that there is more to the process than merely telling students to get out of school in four years.
That mission is almost overwhelming. It includes studying courses each major requires; questioning whether general education classes fill designed purposes; revamping freshman classes to meet freshman needs better; offering more sections in bottleneck classes; and finding monetary incentives for students to use time wisely.
"I've tried to humanize the problem," Tanner said. "We feel concern for the students; we don't want them to feel like they're being blamed."
Tanner admitted, as has Lee, that many impediments to early or timely graduation are made on the university's end.
To solve these problems, Tanner divided the solution into two areas - those involving curriculum and those dealing with finances.
The academic equation begins as students enter BYU, be they freshmen, transfer students or returned missionaries. Tanner said the university is trying harder to orient new students to life at BYU.
One way is through the Student Housing Initiatives in Education program, called SHINE. It groups freshmen in student housing and in core classes to give them a support system, Tanner said.
"It's a way of cutting a big university down to size," he said.
BYU is exploring offering faculty incentives to get senior professors to spend time teaching freshmen. There are also plans for upper-level students to mentor freshmen.
Another reform involves paring major requirements to 60 hours, Tanner said. Lee stated earlier that departments need to show compelling reasons to require more than 60 hours for a major.
The university is also analyzing general education requirements.
"Are we really accomplishing our objectives?" is the question the Faculty General Education Committee is asking, Tanner said.
The idea behind general education is exposing students to an array of views and learning situations and training them in critical thinking, writing and math skills, he said.
BYU has no proposals changing general education but is asking the necessary questions for possible future action, Tanner said. For instance, advanced writing may change to a more major-oriented class.
Mandatory advisement is another area targeted for streamlining. Students with 96 hours or more are to receive academic advisement if they have not declared a major. Many students jump from major to major trying to find something they like. Sometimes a few minutes with an adviser can help get the student on the right track in an enjoyable major, Tanner said.
Students receive mandatory advisement again if they have 150 credit hours or more and have not filed for graduation. Some students resent the university urging them to graduate sooner, but not all, he said.
BYU is considering reducing majors that limit student enrollment. Tanner said some majors must limit enrollment, but there must be better guidelines to ensure qualified students aren't restricted from a major just because enrollment is too high, he said.
Committees are also looking at bottleneck courses. The university knew which courses fill fastest but did not know how many students were turned away from particular classes. BYU now keeps computer lists of attempted enrollments to see how many more sections should be added, Tanner said.
As an incentive for timely graduation, BYU would restrict standard tuition to those attending 10 semesters or less. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pays 70 percent of the tuition from its tithing funds. Church support would be reduced for full-time students after 10 semesters, Tanner said.
Committees are looking at options to best implement the church-subsidy reductions. The reduction or withdrawal could be phased in, Tanner said, with students shares increasing the longer they stay in school.
The 10-semester rule will not include spring/summer terms and does not apply to part-time students, he said. That should encourage students to attend spring/summer terms when BYU has more room.
BYU will lower 1995 spring/
summer fees by $150 per term to get more spring/summer students, he said. The $400 per-term cost should particularly help married and working students, Tanner said, because they are more likely to be at school spring and summer.
Granting scholarships on a sliding scale is also being considered. Depending on the scholarship type, a student must maintain a grade point average of 3.5, 3.75 or 3.9. With the sliding-scale proposal, a student taking more hours can get a lower GPA than one who takes the minimum number of credits.
"I see this as the first part of a larger conversation about the BYU baccalaureate," Tanner said.
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Methods under consideration
Brigham Young University officials are considering several initiatives and proposals to help students graduate faster: Curriculum
- Freshman seminar, student mentoring, freshman research program, student housing Initiatives in Education program
- 60-hour review of majors
- Review of requirements in religion and health and P.E.
- Review of advanced writing and general education requirements Undergraduate policies
Mandatory advisement for those with 96 credit hours and no major, mandatory advisement for those with 150 credit hours who have not filed for graduation, transfer consortium with junior colleges, review of policy for repeating classes, review and tracking of bottleneck courses, and new admissions criteria Tuition and scholarship
- 10-semester cap on LDS-subsidized tuition
- Discount for spring/summer terms
- Sliding GPA scale for those who take more hours
- Tuition discount, freeze or rebate for those taking 32 credits or more a year